Progress of the war.
From our late Northern papers we make up some interesting items of news bearing on the war:
What is to Happen at the North.
If the predictions of the
Republican speakers and writers in New York before the elections are to be fulfilled, the
North is to have a terrible experience at home.
The following is an extract from a letter in the Buffalo
Express, written by
Samuel Wilkerson, an
attack of the
Tribunes who has been the greater part of his time for the last year its principal correspondent or agent at
Washington.--The letter is dated the 26th of October:
I tell you, my dear sir,
that if, in a Satanic providence of polities, we are passed under the yokes by Hieratic Seymour, to the slave power, the revolution now in progress in the South will be transferred to the North, and will whelin the great cities and portions of the country with violences that I shudder to think of. This result is inevitable from the enthronement in New York of the power which is waging bloody war against the life of the
Republic.
It will as surely endeavor to secure its future by a destruction of our liberties.
With what bloody obstinacy this endeavor would be resisted such men as you and I know.
Cassius M. Clay, another radical, gave a glimpse of the same plot, in his speech at the
Republican meeting in New York.
He said:
‘
He had been charged with rashness in saying that if
Seymour and
Wood were hung it would save the lives of many honest Democrats.
But from what we have heard, could any one doubt that they were giving aid and comfort to the enemies of the
Government.
And in that case the men who made the
Constitution had decided that they should be hung by the neck till they were dead. [‘"And may God have mercy on their souls"’]
If Seymour should be elected, civil war would be at our hearthstones.
The New York
World thinks it is the deliberate purpose of the Republicans to prevent such Democratic State officers as are elected entering on the discharge of their duties.
A
Provost Marshal is to notify them that the Administration has prepared free lodgings for them in Fort Lafayette.
The outlines of the plan are stated in the following quotation from the
Times:
Martial law over the entire
North is a national necessity.
If the Governors of the Northern States manifest a factious spirit, the Provost Marshals, is presumed, will have the power to keep them in order, If State Legislatures should undertakes to interferers with the action the General Government necessary to the prosecution of the war, they will come under the action of martial law, and if the action of any political party shall threaten to change or paralyze the movements of the
Government it will doubtless be
competent for the Provost Marshal in any State to suspend political meetings and postpones elections. If the
Constitution of the United States is to be construed according to the necessities of a civil war of vest proportions, the
Constitutions of individual States cannot be allowed to stand in the way of its vigorous prosecution. ’
A Court-Martial, of which Brig
Gen.
Hancock was
President, has just found
Col. Owens, Sixty- ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers, guilty of a charge of "conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline, and unbecoming an officer and a gentle, man. The
Court sentenced him (Col,
Owen) to be dismissed the service of the
United States.
Gen McClellan in his order says:
‘
The finding and sentence of the
Court are fully supported by the testimony, and are approved by the
Major General commanding.
It appears that on the 4th of October, 1862, the regiment of the of the accused was encamped near
Harper's Ferry; that the forenoon of the day was passed by the accused at the headquarters of his brigade, in attendance upon a Court of Inquiry on the question of rank between himself and another officer.
that he was then very much intoxicated; that at half-past 12 o'clock he left the headquarters to get his dinner, the accused claiming to have received a general permission from his commanding officer to dine at a house near the camp; that, in stead of returning to his regiment, he was found late in the afternoon, in the streets of
Harper's Ferry, very drunk, and engaged in a scandalous quarrel and collision with the
Lieutenant Colonel of his own regiment, by whom he was pulled from his horse and thrown violently upon the ground; that after dark he was arrested by the provost guard for being absent from his camp without a permit, and was held in custody until next morning.
In the meantime, at 3 o'clock P. M., his regiment had been ordered and had proceeded upon a tour of picket duty.
No comment of the
General commanding can add any force to the above recital of facts.
All the members of the court present at the finding and sentence recommend a remission of the sentence, "in consideration of the previous good character of
Col. Owen, and his distinguished services in the present war." This recommendation is supported by testimony of the highest character adduced upon the trial, showing that the accused has been a zealous and obedient officer, and has displayed great gallantry and good conduct on the field of battle.
The sentence of the court is remitted.
The General commanding trusts that the deep humiliation which the events themselves and the publicity of these proceedings must cause the accused, will prevent the leniency here extended from producing any injurious influence in the service.
Col. Joshua T. Owen, 69th Pennsylvania volunteers, is released from arrest, and will return to duty.
’
General Frank P. Blair has issued an address to his constituents, in which he distinctly charges
General Fremont with treason.
He says:
‘
"
Fremont was then plotting against the
Government which had trusted him, and using the means placed in his hands for its support to work its destruction, and establish for himself a dictatorship upon its ruins.
If his ability had been equal to his ambition, he would perhaps have sought to enact the same rolls now being played by
Jeff. Davis.--The patriotism of our people and his imbecility were our safety.
When I represented to the
Government that, in my opinion,
General Fremont had not the capacity to conduct successfully the military command which had been entrusted to him, (his conspiracy against the
Government had not then developed itself,) I was not unprepared for the indignation which this expression of opinion brought upon me on the part of the
General and his
California contractors and dependents, but confess the astonishment with which the course.
the
Missouri Demurral and certain other newspapers filled me"
’
The
Hartford (
Conn,)
Times had been shown a private letter from
Providence, from which the following is an extract.
The letter is dated October 26th, 1862.
We had some excitement here last week at the time of the departure of the 12th regiment.
Part of the men refused to go, because they had not received the whole of their bounty.
Gov. Sprague ordered part of the battery on the ground to intimidate them; but that did not do much good, for the 12th made a charge and took one of the guns and spiked it. The battery boys told them if they would drive
Sprague off the ground they (the battery boys,) would turn the cannon on him and keep him off. They pelted him with bits of bread, and one whole loaf struck him on the head and nearly knocked him off his horse.
The very devil was to pay for a time, but finally things got calmed down; but the boys did not go, and they have not all gone yet. It is generally conceded by all classes that the men should have their pay, and that
Governor Sprague did not act a wise part.
On the 13th ultimo,
Major-Gen. Mitchell, in command at
Hilton Head, S. C., wrote a letter to
Secretary Chase, giving the following as his intentions, if permitted to carry out his views.
As he died of yellow fever on the 24th his plans were not as promptly carried out as they might have been.
If he were, indeed, under my orders, I have an immense work for him to do, which I would commence without an hour's delay.
I would begin the organization of my plantation system.
A perfect census of all the blacks inhabiting the islands would be promptly made, My model plantation, with its fields, fences, seeds, tillage, implements, houses, furniture, &c., would be organized with as little delay as possible.
I would commence the buildings, which will be required for the large accessions of population which will certainly come to us when we break though the enemy's line on the mania d which we are determined to do. I would have all the blacks distinctly informed as to the plan by which they were to be governed, educated, and made industrious and worthy citizens.
I would tell them that the fraise of their future toil would be consecrated hereafter to their own benefit; to each family on the planation I would give a separate dwelling, with a patch for their own private cultivation as a little garden.
From estimate which I have carefully made, I am quite certain that an industrious family of three persons will certainly save from $150 to $200 each year.
In five years such a family would have laid up in the
Plantation Bank an amount sufficient to make them independent.
And then, with industrious habits, with religious instruction, with correct moral views and sentiments, with minds properly trained to self-dependence, they might select their own homes if they chose, and begin the world for themselves.
Mutiny among paroled Federal soldiers.
It appears that the soldiers now garrisoned at
Chicago are desperate malcontents, and are causing a great deal of trouble and annoyance to the citizens.
The Chicago
Timessays:
‘
Yesterday morning the Sixty fifth Illinois regiment, captured and paroled by the
Confederates, destroyed by fire the barracks at
Camp Douglas, where they were quartered.
There is no reason assigned for their strange conduct.
The barracks are to be rebuilt.
The example of the gallant Sixty-fifth was followed on the evening of the same day by the Ninth Vermont, encamped at the
Horse Fair Grounds.
The alarm was given, and two
steam fire engines started for the conflagration, one of which was detained and turned back, and the other proceeded to the cue. The engine was quickly surrounded by a large crowd of soldiers, yelling like madmen, and swearing that they would not be interfered with.
They were having a "nice little time of their own," and did not want to be interfered with — wanting no outsiders to spoil their fun. They commenced throwing stones, one of which struck and wounded severely
Capt. Barry, of the engine, which was also injured by the missiles of the excited soldiery.
The infuriated soldiers made a rush at the engineer, and tried to pull him off, and would have succeeded in this and their purpose of destroying the engine, but for the drivers, who lashed their horses through the crowd, succeeding in clearing them without further danger.
On the way back, the engine and hose cart were met by another party of soldiers, who commenced to threaten but abstained from further demonstrations when revolvers were pointed at them.
No explanation is given of the cause of the disaffection of these goodly
Unionists, but it is probable that the Proclamation bugbear of the
President was the cause.
’
The Federal programme in the Southwest.
The Corinta correspondent of the
Cincinnati Gazettes says it was stated there that a strong Federal force, from the direction of
Memphis, has occupied
Tupelo, and that in a few days another strong column will move down on the
Memphis and
Charleston, and
Mississippi Central roads, and, taking possession of
Grenada and
Jackson, cut up the railroad connecting with
Vicksburg, destroy
Meridian, the junction of the first-named roads — thus preventing railroad communication with
Richmond — and move upon
Vicksburg from the rear, while their gunboats engage the
Confederates from the river.
The writer adds:
There is probably no move which can be made by our
Generals that would be easier of accomplishment and none, certainly, which promises richer results.
The army of Van-
Dorn and
Price had already been badly whipped, and yet that is the only considerable force between us and
Mobile — That they can be overcome, and that by one-half their number, is now a matter of history, and now, while the weather is favorable for a southward movement, the scheme should be worked cut before the enemy shall have time to organize another army like that they hurled against us on the 3d, 4th and 5th inst., at this place.
That this
will be the plan of the winter campaign in this State, there can be no manner of doubt.
The preparations now in progress here are unquestionably all to that and Grenada,
Jackson,
Vicksburg — these are the prizes offered to any of our ‘"enterprising"’
Generals who will go and take them, which can be done with less than half the hard fighting required to hold this point.
But, in order to get them cheap, we must move
at once, at once ‘"Delays are dangerous."’
Disposition of prisoners.
The capture of
Mrs. Turner,
Miss Buckner, (with $300 worth of quinine in her bustle,) and
B. Bailey, while trying to make their way into our lines near
Centreville, has been published.
A letter from
Washington to a New York paper says:
‘
They were from
Washington, in a carriage loaded with sundry family stores, in which was found quinine and morphine, worth in the
South $10,000. On the person of Valley was found a large contraband mail.
He preached in
Washington last Sunday, and preached in
Richmond in the latter part of September.
He and the younger female were sent to the old Capitol prison, while the elder, 70 years old, was turned loose.
Messrs. Kidwell, of
Georgetown;
Peale, of
Alexandria; and
Milburn, of
Washington city, druggists, were on Thursday arrested and sent to the old Capitol prison for selling these parties the contraband medicines, knowing, as is alleged where they were to be carried.
They were formidably armed with protections and passes from
Major- Generals and Provost Marshals and with a certificate of loyalty as strong as words could make it from
a Cabinet Minister.
As a specimen of the correspondence which these F. F. V.'s carried on their persons, we extract the following memorandum of a visit to "Southern friends" in New York, from a letter to
Mrs. Peyton, of
Gordonsville:
"--
Sister, who returned from New York last week found that our cause has more friends there than she had imagined.
The feeling against this Government is very strong, so much so that they expect to have bloodshed in their streets before
Christmas."
’
Suicide of an officer in Washington.
Major Wm. W. Russell,
Paymaster of the U. S. Marine Corps, committed suicide in
Washington on the 4th inst. The
Start says:
‘
An inquest developed the fact that he had inflicted upon himself two wounds--one with a small sword in the side, the intention evidently having been to reach the heart; it struck, however, below it. He then took a pistol and fired it, the ball entering the head at the right temple, passing through the head, and lodging just inside the skin on the left side.
The skull is completely shattered, and the pistol was evidently held close to the head.--
Major R. was known as a pleasant, social gentleman, but sometimes gave way to fits of despondency, and it is believed that he was in a fit of temporary insanity when he committed the rash act. He was forty-two years of age and a widower, but leaves six small children, who reside with his mother at
Rockville, Md. A large circle of friends will regret his untimely end.
’
Abe Lincoln Particular on Constitutional power.
The New York
World has the following paragraph:
‘
President Lincoln replied to the Common Council of
Washington yesterday, who urged upon him the propriety of building a military railroad from
Washington to
Point of Rocks, that he could not do so, as Congress had explicitly taken away his power, and that the rebellion in the
West would have been crushed long since had he possessed the power to build a railway from
Louisville to and through
Eastern Tennessee.
Good Heavens!
President Lincoln, of his own motion, without any warrant in the
Constitution of his country or the laws of war, by proclamation frees four millions of slaves, utterly outside of his control, utterly outside the limits of his just authority, but in the same breath he declares that he has no power to build railroads in the
West, which he thinks is absolutely necessary to crush the rebellion in that re-
’
