From the North.
latest of the rebellion.
"the Circle of fire."
the end of the rebellion Appearing.
&c., &c., &c.
From the Baltimore
Clipper and
Sun, and the New York
Times, of the 17th, we continue to make extracts of the latest intelligence from the
United States:
The rebellion Overthrown.
Washington, D. C., Feb. 15
I feel that I violate no confidence in stating, as I now do, that the highest military authorities of our Government believe the
Confederate rebellion to be hopelessly over thrown.
Gen. McClellan is expecting to hear, any hour, that the rebel army is in full retreat from
Manassas, and when it breaks away from
Manassas, it is doubtful if even
Richmond will be a point in the next line of defence.
The most probable policy of the rebel leaders will be to retreat as expeditiously as possible from all points to the
Gulf States, and try to make a stand there, hoping by their compact masses to resist our armies, until the fervid heats of summer shall come to their aid, and help thin our ranks and demoralize our soldiers.
If the
Confederate leaders should be able to leave in their rear a population devoted to their cause and hostile to us, they might safely abandon
Virginia,
North Carolina and
Tennessee to the possession of the
Union armies.
The annoyance of guerilla warfare, of bridge burnings and secret assassinations, would make the presence of our armies in the enemy's country very costly in men and money.
And if summer fevers should add to other harassing losses, we might find ourselves far from the end of the rebellion.
But such will not be the state of things if the rebels abandon
Virginia,
North Carolina, and
Tennessee.
Their retirement will enfranchise hundreds of thousands of loyal citizens in those States, who will spring with joy to meet the old flag, and rapidly range themselves under the regular constitutional Government that the
Confederate traitors have tried to extinguish
Virginia is as loyal a State, to-day, as ever
Maryland or
Missouri was. And as for
Tennessee, I verily believe that it always was, and is now, more truly and even ardently loyal than any border slave State in the
Union.
North Carolina is nearly akin to
Tennessee in patriotic feeling.
If, therefore, the Confederate armies retreat to the
Gulf States, the loyal citizens of
Virginia,
North Carolina, and
Tennessee, will immediately reorganize their State Governments, and with rejoicing as sincere and hearty as ever animated any people on earth they will reclaim their old places in our glorious Union.
is there an arm in all the
North that will be lifted to stay their coming?
I do hardly believe it.
Washington, D. C., Friday, Feb. 13
--Ordered--
First--That all applications for passes to go South across the military lines of the
U. States be made to
Major General John A. Dix, commanding at
Baltimore, who will grant or refuse the same at his discretion.
Second--That all prisoners of war and other persons imprisoned by authority of any department of Government, who shall be released on parole or exchange, shall report themselves on arrival at
Baltimore to
Major.
Gen. Dix, and be subject to his direction while remaining in that city.
Any failure to observe his order will be taken as a forfeiture of the parole or exchange.
The regulations here to fore existing which required passes across the military lines of the
United States to be signed by the
secretary of State, and countersigned by the
General commanding, is rescinded by order of the
President.
Edwin M. Stanton,
Sec. of War.
The use of Fort Donelson--its importance — the rebel soldiers and commanders.
Fort Donelson is situated at
Dover, Tenn on the west bank of the
Cumberland river, a few miles south of the northern boundary of the
State, and was built last summer, about the same time as
Fort Henry.
It is located at a point where the river washes an ob use angle in its north ward course.
It is 12 miles southeast of
Fort Henry, which was captured just nine days before the present victory.--The main object of the fort was to stand as a rear defence to
Bowling Green, and also as a defence against our approach to
Nashville by the
Cumberland river.
It was believed by the rebels that it would block up effectually our passage into
Tennessee in this direction.
Some seven or eight post roads here intersect each other, and the railroad from
Bowling Green to
Memphis passes but four miles south of it. This same railroad, it will be remembered was cut a short distance west, at the
Tennessee river, by our gunboats, immediately after the fall of
Fort Henry, and is now again destroyed at the crossing of the
Cumberland.
Fort Donelson controls the river as far up as
Clarksville; where the rebels may perhaps again make a stand as we advance onward to
Nashville.
At
Clarksville they have fortifications and a pretty strong armament, and lately they had there also a considerable body of troops.
The enemy are supposed to have had three batteries at
Fort Donelson--one near the river's edge, one fifty feet above this on the high ground, and a third fifty feet above the second; this upper one mounted four 18 pounder guns.
Our gunboats first attached the water battery, but the rebels held back the fire of their upper and strongest work until
Com. Foote, with his usual daring, had brought his boats within four hundred yards of the fort.
He still advanced, however, until he got within 100 yard of it. At 4 o'clock on Saturday this upper redoubt, constituting the right wing of the enemy's fortification, and which commands the remainder of the rebel works, was taken by our troops, and from it the old flag was flung to the breeze.
Of the exact armament of these various works we have not information, but, at the latest date to which our knowledge extends, there were mounted some 20 heavy guns, 18, 32, and 64 pounders.
It is not to be wondered, placed as these were, that they should have done considerable damage to even such strong boats as compose our iron plated Western river fleet.
And there is no doubt that large additions to the number were within a week made from
Bowling Green--as Com,
Foote says, in his official dispatch, that in the upper and lower redoubts alone there were mounted 20 guns.
The number of rebels manning the fortifications was estimated last Thursday, by our commanders on the field, in the dispatch published last Saturday, as high as 10,000.
No further reinforcements could have been thrown in after that time, as our forces then had invested the fort.
If
General Hallect's statement was correct that
Floyd (the thief) was then inside the fort, it is likely that he had taken the division with which he left
Bowling Green last Monday along with him, instead of having taken it to
East Tennessee to fight
General Thomas, as was supposed.
That division consists of three brigades, one of which was immediately commanded by
Floyd himself, another by
Hardee, and another by
Simon Bolivar Buckner.
The regiments were from
Arkansas,
Mississippi,
Tennessee,
Virginia, and
Kentucky, and were the flower of the rebel army in the
Southwest.
The four regiments also which fled from
Fort Henry on its capture by
Commodore Foote, had probably also taken refuge in
Fort Donelson.
The rebel troops at
Clarksville, too, could have been easily thrown forward after the fall of
Fort Henry.
There is no doubt that all the rebel forces that could possibly be spared were there.
Up to the 20th of last month, the fort was occupied by only a few companies of Tennesseeans, and so strongly were the rebels there posted that they did not believe we would dare to assail even them.
But give the rebels all the reinforcement and the largest number claimed, and there was still an immense preponderance of men on our side — the
Union force investing the fort being stated by
Gen. Halleck to be fifty thousand strong.
Considering the location of the fort its defences, and the forces manning it, and it will be seen that the rebels could make a severe fight — There are other things besides superior numbers to be taken into consideration in estimating the chances of a battle.
The rebels succeeded, too, in disabling the most efficient of our gunboats.
But as, at the latest hour, the mortar boats were nearly ready to open fire on the positions the rebels still held, in connection with the guns from the commanding position we had captured and as our brave troops were breast to breast with the rebels, we may at any hour anticipate news of the complete reduction of
Fort Donelson.
Gen. Halleck has issued a
general order, the principal point of which follows a request of the
Acting Governor of
Missouri:
It is hereby ordered that at all future elections in this State, whether State, municipal, county or town elections, every voter will be required to take the oath of allegiance required by the State Convention of Oct. 18, 1861.
Officers of polls will see to the execution of this order.
If they receive votes of persons not taking the oath, they will be arrested, tried for military offence, and the election declared null and void.
Union movements in Kentucky.
The Cincinnati
Commercial, of Thursday,
one week ago, gives the following important information regarding recent movements of national forces in
Kentucky, which it has from trustworthy sources:"
Gen. Buill's whole army, with the exception of
General McCock's division, was, on Wednesday, in motion upon the enemy.
Gen. Nelson's division crossed
Green river on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, on its march to a grow, over the turnpike from Bardatows to that place.
Gen. Mitchell's whole command marched down to
Munfordville from
Bacon creek, and crossed over the railroad bridge, (which has been planked,) on Monday morning, and has advanced some miles on the turnpike to
Bowling Green.
The condition of the roads rendering and advance over the mountains south of the
Cumberland via
Monticello and
Albany, into
Tennessee, impracticable, the main body of
General Thomas's division has been ordered to move via
Danville and Lebanch, also towards
Glasgow.
General Schoeff's brigade is reported to have passed through
Lebaron on its way south.
It is expected to join
General Nelson.
General McCook's division has marching orders, and has probably assumed a position south of
Green river before this time.
Papers were captured at
Fort Henry showing
General Polk's force at
Columbus to be only 12,000 effective men — the remainder being on the sink list or worthless.
It is confidently believed by our officers that
Kentucky will be cleared of the last of the rebels before the 1st of March. Troops are to be sent from the line of the
Potomac into
Kentucky to help accomplish this desirable object.
One of the best disciplined and most perfectly appointed of the
Potomac visions is expected there soon.
All the regiments in camp in the
Northwestern States are also to be sent into
Kentucky as soon as possible.
Resolutions authorizing the presentation of a sword to
General Burnside and tendering the thanks of the General Assembly to the officers and men under him, for the victory at
Roanoke Island, passed both branches of the Rhode Island Legislature on Friday.
The news in brief.
The great mortar fleet, which has been in preparation for so many weeks past at the
Brooklyn Navy-Yard, is to rendezvous at
Key West, a fact which affords pretty strong presumptive proof that
Mobile or New Orleans is shortly to be honored with a visit from Uncle Samuel.
The fleet will probably be at the ‘"Key"’ by the 1st of March.
A letter from
Captain Rodgers, of the ship
Macaulay, states that he was boarded by the
Sumter near
Genoa; but her pirate
Captain, on learning that the ship hailed from
Baltimore, allowed her to proceed on her voyage without molestation.
It is reported from
Gen. Banks's head-quarters to
Gen. McClellan that within the past week numbers of
Virginians have got through our lines, reached
Frederick, and presented themselves, desiring to be enrolled in the service of the
United States.
A gentleman who arrived from Curiluck Sound yesterday says that several of our gunboats arrived at the canal on Thursday afternoon, at 3 o'clock, and commenced firing shot and shelf upon the rebels who were engaged in destroying the canal.
Senator Latham is preparing a report asking for an appropriation of $100,000 for a survey to establish a telegraphic communication overland from
San Francisco via Behring Straits, to the mouth of the Amoor river.
Gen. Fremont will probably leave here towards the close of the week.
It is believed by his friends that he will soon be assigned to important military duties.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is once more open to
Hancock,
Gen. Lander having entirely cleared his department of the rebels.
He made a forced march on Thursday night to Blooming Gap, surprising and breaking up the rebel camps at that place, and capturing seventeen commissioned officers and forty five
privates Gen. Lander charged the enemy in person, at the head of the First Virginia cavalry.
He lost two of his men and six horses.
Dispatches from Upper Potomac state that the rebels have completed a strong fortification on Catechin Mountain, covering one and a half acres of ground, and with platforms for twenty guns, --only four of which, however, have been mounted.
The walls of the fort are stated to be seven feet high, and surrounded by a deep, at.
New York, Feb. 16.--Ther with
Port Royal dates of the 12th, has arrived.
No new movements are reported.
All was well there.
The
Matanzas has the crew of the steamer
Primero, which was abandoned, in a sinking condition, off
Hatteras on the 14th.
The New York
Times says, ‘"The rebels raised the black flag at
Donelson."’
Senator Chandler has received a letter from
Col. Wilcox, who says that himself and the other prisoners at
Columbia, S. C., are in good health, and that their condition has been rendered comfortable by the clothing received from the
United States authorities.
A dispatch from
Fortress Monroe, on the 16th inst., says:
‘
The propeller
Planet arrived here this afternoon from
Baltimore, having on board the sub-marine cable to be laid across the bay from this point to
Cape Charles.
The line has already been completed from
Wilmington, Del., to
Cape Charles, and also from the headquarters of en.
Wool, almost a mile up the beach, to the place selected for the crossing.
The line will be suck in a few days and as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made, this department will then be connected directly by telegraph with
Washington and New York, and the
Government and the public will become informed of the important news transmitted hence from twelve to twenty-four hours earlier than at present.
The line will be under the management of
Mr. Wm. H. Heiss, of the U. Military Telegraph, and will be of the greatest value to the
Government.
’
