From General Lee's army.
[from our own Correspondent.] Army of Northern Virginia, Jan. 11th, 1864.
The situation remains essentially unchanged.--Both sides have occasionally to change camps for the purpose of getting wood.
The enemy are hugging the railroad closely, busily engaged in securing re-enlistments of their three year's men by the grant of a thirty-five days furlough, and bounties reaching as high in some instances as one thousand dollars. It is generally understood that they will preserve their old organizations undisturbed.
Whilst this is the policy of our enemies, all eyes are turned to the Congress, and every patriot is anxiously solicitous to know the character of its legislation; for all feel that upon Congress hangs the fate of the country.
I would again earnestly entreat them to lose no time in perfecting the military bill.
Sixty days more and we may expect the campaign to begin.
McClellan moved in 1862 as soon as March opened; whilst Hooker delayed until April only because a wide river intervened between him and us. There is, let me say again, no time for delay.
Mosby, the gallant guerilla chief, is constantly disturbing and harassing the enemy.
Within the last week he has sent in three lots of prisoners, numbering some seventy-five, and has captured over one hundred horses and mules, besides the arms and equipments of the men taken.
He is doing us valuable service.
A gentleman told me in Fauquier, last fall, as the army moved to Bristow, that Mosby was equal to a force of fifteen thousand men as against the enemy; for, said he, it requires that force to guard the railroad, protect the bridges, and do patrol duty.
Courts-martial are now in session all over the army, and a large amount of business is being disposed of. The desertions are much less frequent since the institution of the permanent system of furloughs in the army.
Gen. Lee is now granting furloughs in the ratio of four to every hundred men present for duty.
Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill, who has been absent for some time, returned to command on yesterday. --During his absence the command of his corps devolved upon Major Gen. R. H. Anderson.
The negro who, by accident, as it is said, killed the soldier in Mahone's brigade, has been turned over to the civil authorities, and will have his examination before the next term of the Orange County Court.
The Substitute bill has caused a general "skedaddling" among the sutlers, not less than twenty having been compelled on this account to close up and get ready to march either in the ranks or out of the country.
The weather during the past week has been intensely cold, and it has been with great difficulty that the men could keep comfortable.
Blankets, overcoats, and shoes are still needed, and I am surprised that more and liberal donations are not received.
I have alluded to this matter in my correspondence for the tenth and last time.
If the people still refuse it is their fault, not mine.
Col. Forney, of the 10th Alabama, now languishing in a Northern prison, has, I learn, been promoted to a Brigadier Generalship, and will receive command of Wilcox's old brigade as soon as he shall be returned to our lines.
Gen. Wirt Adams has been assigned to the command of Posey's old brigade, thus knocking into "pi" all the expectations of the numerous candidates for promotion in that quarter.
There is some typhoid pneumonia prevailing among the soldiers, and it is often fatal.
The disease is not prevailing to an extent to make it a matter of much general apprehension.
I have repeatedly seen allusions to the way in which this army is fed. Let me give the list of articles now on issue: Bacon, beef, flour, rice, molasses, sugar, and sure enough genuine store coffee, and occasionally sweet and Irish potatoes.
It is a pity the demagogues in Congress cannot better employ their time than in publishing our want of bread and meat to the enemy.
For two days the army did fail to get meat; but it was occasioned by the failure of cattle to arrive in time, and not because we could not have it. It is easier to find fault than to help the Government. X.
