Elje
HUN-TINGOON, PA.
yirplues6iy *on*, Alaroh 9,1864.
Editor'pnd Proprietor
Our Flag 'Forever
"1' know of no mode in which a loyal citi-
Zen may so well demonstrate his devotion' to
his country as by sustaining the Flag. the
Constitution and the Union; under all circum
stances, and UNDER EVERY. ADMINISTRATION
REGARDLIISSOT PARTY : POLITICS, AGAINST ALL
SASAILeNTS, AT , HOPE AND ABROAD."—STEPREN
A. Do.uotas:
The Beinoval of Captain James D.
Canipbell, Provost Marshal of the
,- -17th Cmigressicmal Distriot.
The .people of this county, and
throughout the district, were ranch sur
prised, :.some few weeks ago, by the
rumored.removal of Captain James D.
Campbell. We, in common with the
.pllttlic a large, were at an utter loss
to imagine the reason. What added
,to the general , surprise .virds, , that, as
we • undershpod,Vapt. Campbell him
self:was- in equal ignorance of the
pause of his removal; or that any com
plaint,had been mado,er any.charges
preferred against .1431. :The' mystery
restinggpetrtheeffair was still further
berealeilArtiwraot that the order of
dismissal .wsa, -couched in terms, and
parried outs ia a manner, apparently
fntended;brone . and , the same stroke,
to vaClitte the office, and visit disgrace
upon the dismissed officer.
,•The order was as follows
412 Drranciar. PILOTOST MAIM= alifilleB
Wisbingtott; C.; January 25th; Ito&
COLPI. 7.1% CAMPBELL, Provost dttrzhal 11th CoVrtt
- siotua Disrict, Pennstrh•ania
dentyon are hereby die ' rnfssed i ttie di se rec rr i i i c o e n o; f lit h e ' U P n r iti
13 4 1 eg• - Very:F9Poutihily,your obedient servant,
A. 5.5 D. par, Proroat !Sandia General.
o - !il l iis'ictte;l:9Ceived without any pro
viols iotice, intimation of complaint,
or warning, and an .official. emit here
frant;WaShington at the same time, to
take:'charge of ,the office during the
two•otthrst days. - which elapsed before
dept. - 144a, the aointe'd Successor,
was ready to enter, amounted to a
dismissal in disgrace, and appeared to
be so intended; and the fair implica
tion, giiing rise to the most injurious
etinj o ectniee, was, that the government
offi*la at Washington, had the' most
graVe reasons to justify this extraordi;
nary - proceeding. Why, we. inquired,
and` everybody inquired,' was this
done?We were et
. a lOss 'td•conjeot
are..4he reason.; and -yet-Wre—thonzlit,
ifferely Se - cretary Stanton - vintihr not
thyd strike' down a highly 'respectable
Ottietian, and young eel
-dier with Out Sene sufficient ,reason :
a4Weforbore to make any.comments
lgical-the affair, and concluded to wait
patiently deielopments.
he'pubhe'here Shared our ember
rqsaMent; .;-and ; :pursued .'the same
coarse Capt. Campbell had grewn
joMaiihood in this borough. 'He
Was known', here by all to be a young
matierritin of character and integrity;
a:talented and.promising young mem
bni of the 'Huntingdon Bar. The same
Wait the President's first proclamation
was:issued, when the capitbl was
threitened he took'an active'and effi
cient past in raising a company of vol
mateers for the three month's service,
in Which 'he served as a Lieutenant
nail the company was , honorably dis
charged at the expiration ,of its term
afienlistmenti. "on the day it was mus
tered out, Capt.,Camptrell received an
ti:o4' from Gov. Curtin to raise a
company for .the three years:Service,
.tti,hich be didir-Co. D. 49th Begt., P.
commanded it through the
- celebrated:peninsular campaign, the
Titaryland - campaign, and until. after
ttie tiatile ofPredericksburg, When the
regiment, wasted away in, the service,
was - consolidated into a battalion of
fotir companies, and more than half of
ftiline Officers assigned to other dn.
o When, about this time, Capt.
!Campbell for the reason (with other
reasons), that: he had "no adequate
command" his company being reduced
tOO, men. fit for duty, tendered his
resignation, it was returned ,by Col.
Cobb of the sth Wisconsin, command
ing the '•Brigade, now a member of
Congress from that State, with this
endcirsentent.--
. • - lizanwaaratta Ist Batons San Inenneit,
Camp lowa Ailda Cpreek,roved. bar 11, 1862.
ctfult*
Ititipi forwarded, not an 04e. Chnpbdt
it one qf the bed qffirxre fa the odunteer meta. H ought
to have a better ceetausedy but tht scram cannot , pare him
ca thie Um& • • • A td ABA COBB, .
btlt Begt:, W. V., Comtnandtut Brigade.'
Shriftly previous to this; Captain
CaMPbell had been recommended by
every line offieer then present in the
Begiment,(excePt one,) for promotion
to the. o*.o of Major; and that recom
mbndation is on file at. Harrisburg.—
'Another, who was the senior line.offi
cer:itnd: on 'that account entitled to
prefer - en - do, was coimeissioned.
Toltlese testimonials, Gen. Hancock
bas"borne testimony over' his signa
'sere, that he had "frequently obierved
Cipt: Campbell's pilriduct, idtigeer
that be was a brave and intol!igent
young Oil:leer, and entitled-to. promo
• tionu; and so, :also; hi substance', did
Brigadier
,General -Pratt:. This evi
dence is alio cog bepart
nien. t. • •
In view of Captain Campbell's char
actor and services, thus referred to,
and generally well known, a large
number of the most respectable citi
zens of this borough addressed a com
munication to the War Department,
respectfully asking the cause Of his
dismissal and the chargesagainst him.
We have still, however, remained in
ignorance upon the subject up to this
time, and, until now, withheld any
comments. We now, learn from a re
liable source,—through a gentleman
who got it front the lips of Provost
Marshal General Fry himself,—tbat
no charge was made by any one against
Provost Marehal Campbell. The rea
son, and the only reason assigned was,
that he had made a contract with Ja
cob Bergey, of Huntingdon, to subsist
reunite at forty-five cents per day,
when the Government ration is eatl
mated at forty, cents. This, Mr.. Fry
considered conclusive evidence, either
that Captain Campbell had an interest
in the contract, or was criminally neg
ligent of the interests of the govern.
ment; and, therefore, that he deserved
to be removed at once, without (the
right, surely, in the most stinted jus
tiee, of every accused party) any op
portunity of explanation. "There,"
said he, "is' TUE PACT." He had the
evidence in his office. And the case
was so urgent, that - although the dis
missal was "by direction' of the Presi
dent," 'neither the President nor 'lr.
Stanton knew anything about it !
This is- the case as Mister 'Provost
Marshal General Fry puts it; and, in
this aspect of it, we do feel it to be
our duty to'indulgo in some observe- .
tions. - We would want nothing more
than this statement of it, to satisfy us
of the propriety and justice of a re
mark made a day or two since by a
very distinguished
. gentleman of this
State, to a complaint-Made against this
Washington official. "Why . ," said he.
"don't you know that Fry is not fit
for his place 1"
. Wo remember that complaint was
ma:de some time since -against the
Board of the 14th District, aninvesti
gation had, and the Board triumph
antly vindicated. So it was reported;
and we have no reason to question it.
Nothing was more common, or natu
ral, than for drafted men, who failed
to escape, and their friends, to com
plain, and surmise, and start injurious
rumors. Here the Provost Marshal
General was the sole accuser; and the
evidence was unwittingly furnished
and found in a contract "subject to his
approval!" , If the most common dic
tates of justice bud prevailed in this
case, it would 'not have required any
investigation, but the simplest explan
ation.would haven nmasked the "mare's
nest," which Provost Marshal General
:Fry, it seems, found in his office. A
'simple Statement of the facts will show
how utterly destitute of all 'semblance
to reason, is the reason furnish°. •y
him for thislinuisual and extraordina
ry proceeding. •
Huntingdon being immediately on
the Pa: R. R., an . d a train passing east
at a late hour every evening, - generally
all eonseripts and recruits were sent
off by Captain Campbell the same day
they were :"mustered in. It rarely
happened that any, under his manage
inent Of the office, Wore kept here and
subsisted a whole day. While eon
' scripts were being brought in, they
were subsisted with a company of the
Invalid Corps, kept, here by the gov
ernment. After the soldiers were re
moved, there were only a few recruits
sworn in, who wore generally sent on
the same day. To such, it was not
practicable to deal Out regular rations
in kind, known to be worth 40ets. ; and,
as it was claimed to be worth more to
furnish occasional meals at a boarding
house, Capt. Campbell, after an ineffec
tual attempt to persuade Burgey to take.
40 cents for the number of meals equiva•
lent to a . singlo ration, and believing
that it was really•worth more, entered
into a written' contract at forty-five
cents, expressly "subject to the approval
Of the Provost Marshal General," and
forwarded the contract to that official,
and it is now in his office to speak for it
self. It contained the evidence of the
damning"vecr," upon which he acted I
It was, at the same time, as any ono
possessed of a grain of common sense
would see, in effect, but an inquiry
whether the department would agree
to pay, under the circumstances, the
additional bets., per diem. It only re
quired Fry to withhold his approval,
to prevent any fancied injury to the
government. Capt. Campbell, who is
as good a laWyer, at least, as Mr. Fry,
knew that the paper was not a con
tract without such approval. Pei
baps, he should have asked the ques
tion in very plain English, whether
such a contract would be approved.
Mr. Fry would liave understood that.
Perhaps, he should have taken it for
granted that the contract would not
be sanctioned; but, we suhmit, he had
no right to suppoie that what he did
would be regarded as such a grave
criminal offence as- to' subject him to
the guillotine Without benefit of cler
gy;-when any private in the army
Would be'entitled to the judgment of
a court-martial before being dismissed
in disgrace.
We have only a few more words to
'add in relation - 10 this unjustifiable af
fiat.; and the paltry•attempt to justify
• 'The 'Whole number of rations for
which Burgoy2-inight'clitird: Ci l del• th e
prdpoSeti - tiOnfilitk if.. it, 'bad been ap•
•
"proired;doeS 7- nOt i -- «e': learn, exceed-
The - excess over the geiVern
ment rate would be one dollar and fifty
cents! It was in this wide field the
sagacious ‘ Provost Marshal General
saw clear evidence that his subordi-l i
was. sacrificing the interests or
the government, or selling his charac
ter and laurels, to enrich himself! And
to remedy this it was, that ho remo
ved the office to a point 40 miles fur
ther from Carlisle, costing the govern.
mcnt SO cts., more for the transporta
tion of every recruit, in addition to
subsisting them a longer time. Such
vigilance, if carried out, would be very
valuable to the government, and
ought to be rewarded with a Briga
dier Generalship, if that should be
come necessary to continue Mr. Fry
in place But it may as well be said
plainly, that; as an excuse for an inex
cusable outrage upon a respectable
man and a brave and meritorious
young officer, it is too contemptible
for serious consideration. lt was a
"small Fry" business. It might as
well be said at once that it is a mere
pretext for Capt. Campbell's removal,
and not the reason of it. It is, at least,
not at all complimentary to the com
mon sense and sense of justice which
the Provost Marshal General ought to
possess, if- he does not, to suppose, that
he assigns the true reason for his ac
tion in this business. We doubt • not,
if the true reason Were known, it would
be found to be that the change was
made at the beck of the MeMber of
Congress from this district, who m
(God forgive us for it I) we helped to
elect, and who has got himself in some
way on the Military Committee of the
House ;—who votes to-day with the
friends of the Union, to Morrow with
Ancona, Brooks, Wood & Co., l
third day dodges.
We have nothing to say against
Capt. Lloyd. Ho is a respectable gen
tleman; and we do not accuse him of
any personal agency in this ;corrupt
•
business. , .
Who are the rrlends of the Soldiers ?...
The Bogue Democratic Leaders OPpo.
sing the Increase of the Pay Mid the
Enfranchisement of our righting Men.
There is no longer any necessity for
the Union press of the State to in
dulge in broad charges as to the hos
tility of the bogus Democratic leaders
to the men who are perilling their
lives in the defence of the government.
These loaders are placing themselves
right in the record, by avowing and
practicing a hostility to the heroes of
the war for the Union, at - once unjust
and malignant. In the Senate, on
Friday last, on the vote . to secure the
increase of the pay . of the soldiers, ev
ery bogus Democrat but one voted
nay. We give the resolution and the
vote as follows:
Resolved by the Senate and House of
Re ‘resentatives of the Commonwealth of
'ennsy vania, in General Aisembly met,
and it is hereby enacted by the authority
of the same, That our representatives
in Congress be requested to vote for,
and use their influence for the passage
of a laW increasing the pay of priVate
soldiers and non-commissioned officers
in the army of the United States.
On the final passage of the bill,
• The yeas and nays were required
by:Mr. Reardslee.tind Mr. Clymer, arid
wore as follows, viz :
YEAS-L4lessrs. Chan3pneys, Connell,
Dunlap, Fleming, Graham, Hoge,
Householder, Johnson, Kinsey, Lowry
M'Candless, Nichols, Ridgway, St.-
Clair, Turret!, Wilson, Worthington
and Penney, Spiaker-18.
NAYS—Messrs. Beardslee, "'Bucher,
Clymer, Donovan, Glatz, Hopkins, Lam
berton, Latta, 11.1'Sherry, •Montgomery,
Reilly, SMith, Stark, 'Stein, and Wal
lace-15.
So the bill passed finally.
Every bogus Democrat but Kinsey of
Bucks county, voted against increasing
the pay of the. Soldiers.
Among the amendments to the Con
stitution, is the following section :
SECTION IV. Whenever any of the
qualified electors of the Common•
wealth shall be in any actual military
service uudor a requisition from the
President of the United States, or by
the authority of this Commonwealth,
such electors may exercise the right
of suffrage in all elections of the .citi
zens, under such regulations as are or
shal bo prescribed by law, as fully as
if they were present at their usual
plod° of election.
The vote on the passage of this. am
endment stood as follows :
YEAS—Messrs. Champneys, Connell,
Dunlap, Fleming, Graham, Hoge,
Householder, Johnson, KINSEY, Low
ry, .M.'Candless, Nichols, Ridgway,
St. Clair, Turrell, Wilson, - Worthing
ton and Penney, Speaker-18.
NAYS—Messrs. Beardstee, Donovan,
Glatz, Lamberton, Latta, Montgomery,
Smith, Stark, Stein and Wallace.-10.
The amendment was agreed to, Kin.
soy, voting in the affirmative—and
five bogus Democratic Senators dodg
ing the question-4y which , they ad
mitted the infamy of the course adop
ted by their leaders in the Senate.
We submit these extracts from the
record, to tho calm consideration of
the people of Pennsylvania—to the
serious reflection of the men who are
perilling their lives in defence of the
national honor, and perpetuity of the
National Government. The disfran
chisement of the soldier and the deg
redation of the service which he is
now rendering the nation, have be
come the clearest and the strongest
points in the policy of the Robot Dem
ecratie loaders.
U. S. REVENUE STAMPS.—Persons in
want of these stamps can get them at
Lewis' Book Store. Orders by mail
will receive attention.
The Sikh* Ognidgia..
Whatevei'MUF be-said of the fierce
ness.,
of the war, Waged- heretofore, it
is conceded: by . every one, that the
conflict in the coming spring cam
paign-will be fiercer, more •terrible,
and Waged with More bitterness than
any yet on record in the annals of this
rebellion. With despyration, the reb
els will endeavor to ‘ defeat our armies.
Pinched with starvation, - the cohorts
will rush frantically forward to at
tempt the destruction of the:best dis
ciplined army ever on the continent,
and they will bo hurled back with
such force that the little remaining
life in then' will be smothered almost
instantly. With a force three hun
dred thousand stronger than any pre
vions:army we have had in the field
since the inauguration of the rebellion,
while we must make due allowance of
large 'accessions` to The Confederate
ranks, the campaign' will open with
fear and trembling on the one side,
and ecinfldende and a determination to
win on the other.• No stone will be
left unturned by the rebel leaders if
not to defeat, at least to hold in check
the federal forces which will be thrown
against them. A bloody conflict a
wait's its. The turning point is at
hand, and *0 are very much belied if
our government is not making ample
preparations to ineet-any, contingency
that may arise.' -Within the next six
months, we are inclined "'to believe
that the great isroblem will be Solved.
The AmeriCan Union 'will ha • oen
r•
proved not a failure; the Con acy
wail have been.pronouncedYtit utter
failure, and the very mon who are now
the "loudest 'in their declarations of the
nholition Yankees, Will bow the pliant
knee, and tine for pardon from the man
who'now MY wisely controls the reins
or government. •
EX(?EfANOE OF PaisoNzas.--Arrangc
ments for the enhange . of prisoners
have at length been effected. For
some time*.Past_ nn unofficial corre
spondence between General Butler
and the rebel commissioner Ould has
been carried on. This correspondence
has resulted in a- declaration. of ex
change, in witioh it is agreed that all
prisoners delivered at City Point up
to the 24th of January, 1804, aro, do.
eland
,excbangecl. .
UNION NATIONAL CONVENT/ON.
WAsuiNoroN, D. C., Fob. 22
. . . ,
The National Union Committde met
at the residence.. of. Hon. Edward 1).
Morgan at noon - to-day, and was call
led, to order by, that gentle Man • as its
chairman; .• .
The Hon. -Edward M'Pherson, of
Pennsylvania, was elected Secretary
of_the committee in place of lion.'G.
G. Fogg, of New Hampshire, who is
absent
: front the:Oun try.
Upo consultation, a call was unan
inio.usly. adopted for .0. national con
vention in tlmi'folloWing terms:
"The iinde4gried, who, by original
appointment - Ipr . eubsequent
designa
tion to fill :Vacancies, constitute the
executive coinmtttee created by the
NatiOnal Convention held at Chicago
on the 16th dif of May; 1860, do here
by 'call upon all qualified vote-s,. who
desire the uncofiditional maintenance
of the Union; the siipremacy of the
Constitution, and the complete sup
pression Of:64...rebellion, with the
cause thereof; ey vigorous war and all
apt and efficient moans, to send dole
gates to a Convention, to assemble at
Baltimore on Tuesday, the 7th clay of
June, 1864, at 12 o'.elock noon, for the
purpose of presenting candidates for
the offices of President and Vice Pres
ident of the United States. Each State
having a reproßentation in Congress
will be entitled to as many delegates
as shall be equal to twice the number
of electorsAo which such State is enti
tled in the Electoral College of the
United States.
A resolution was also adopted, invi
ting the territories - and the District of
Columbia to send delegates, subject to
the determination by the Convention
of their right to vote.
The Committee agreed to meet a-
gain at the call - of the chairman: Tho
members present were as follows
Edward D. Morgan, N. Y. chairman.
Chas. J. Oilman, Maine.
LaWronce Brainerd, Vermont.
John B. Goodrich, Massachusotts
Thoe. G. Turner; Ithoile Island.
Gideon Welles, Connecticut
Denning Daer,'New Jersey. •
Ed. McPherson, Pennsylvania.
Nathaniel B. Sniithers, Delaware.
James F. Wagner, Maryland.
nos Spboner, Ohio. cc:.
HenryS.': Lane, Indiana.
Ebenezer Reek, Illinois.
H. M..Hoxie, lowa.
W. S: Washburp, Miimosota.
Cornelius Cole California:
0..11 Irish, Nebraska.
Joseph Gerhardt, Dis. of Columbia.
The committee was entirely bar
monious in their proceedings,
.and ad
journed in the. best possible spirits.
LATE SOUTHERN NEWS.
NEW YoxtK, March 6
. .
Richmond papers of the Ist and 2d
have been received here; they admit
that Kilpatrick penetrated within 3
miles of the city, and relate how nar
rowly Lee escaped capture. Gen. Wise
also had a narrow escape, being at the
residence of the, rebel secretary of war
from whence he reached the city :
Four hundred more of our 'prison
ers were shipped On. February 29 for
Americus, Georgia. Nearly three
thousand have thus far been sent
tbere, and accommodations exist for
six thousand.
• Forty•six miles of the Mobile and
Ohio railroad Were destroyed by Gen
eral Sherman.; The Southern road
was also destroyed from Meridian to
Jackson. Forty eight hundred ne
groes were carried off: •
• Th'irrebel accounts of the battle of
Olustee, in Florida, show that their
force consistedof fourteen regiments
of infantry, four batteries of cavalry
and•three batteries of artillery. Their
loss was eight • hundred killed • and
wounded.
\AAR FOR THE EION,
Maisaore of a dompany of Oolored
Troops.
-- Canto, March - 2..--the clerk of tho.
steamer Pringle brings information
that while that steamer was on a fora
ging.expedition to Johnson Plantation
Tecumseh Landing, five miles above
'Grand Lake, Mississippi, on the 14th
ultimo, a band of sixty well mounted
guerillas, dressed in Federal uniforms,
surprised a company of the let Missis
sippi (Colored) Infantry who wore
standing guard about a mile and
half from the main body of the fora
ging party, capturing and disarming
them, and, before assistance could be
rendered, all wore killed or mortally
wounded, except two who feigned
death-- Lieut. Cox and Sergeant Spen
cer.
The dead liodieOwere stripped .of
their clothing. Some of the negroes
were ',pinned to the ground with bayo
nets, Others had their'brains knocked
out, others were shot through the head
wkile on their knees begging for quar
ter. , ,
The guerillas escaped without 10,
sing a man. - After the Wounded had
been buried by our troniis, a princely
mansion, around which a guard had
been posted and no one allowed to en
ter previous to the slaughter of our
troops, was consumed with all its mag,
nificent furniture. Pour thousand bu•
shels of Om were taken from a crib
containing itbotit fifteen thousand bu
shels.
When the foraging party , returned
to Vicksburg, four hundred guerillas,
of which the murderers formed a part,
were reported by citizens to be en
camped a short distance back in the
country.. ,
IMPORTANT REBEL NEWS.
WASIIINOTON, March 2.
A largii batch. of very late and in
teresting rebel papers has reached
here. The news is very important
and is.in brief as.follovirs:
The. Richmond papers announce,
with hardly concealed-regret, the ap
pointment of General Braktod Bragg
to the commandership-in-chief of all
the rebel - armies, even, over ,the head
of the groat General .Lee himself. The
Examiner, which for some :time past
has . made the hero of Chicltainauga a
scape goat for the military sins of Da:
vis, assails Bragg with fresh bitter
ness. His appointment is exceeding
ly unpopular, and Davis and himself
share equal odiitm.
The rebels boast a•conipleto victory
in Florida, hut, not Withstanding, a&
mit heavy losses of officers and men:
Longstreet's falling back appears to
be a mystery to the rebels themselves.
For prudential reasons the Enquirer
does not mention hiti probable where
abouts. Great'apkehensions are ex
pressed for the safety of the army in
Georgia, and for the situation in Ala
bama and Mississippi.
Captains Sawyer and .Flynn lately .
selected to be martyrs 'to retaliation,
are about to be surrendered to ex.:
change. -
Deserters from the rebel . army. tire
lIQW inflicted with terrible punish-
Ments, to save the military powers of
the Confederacy. They go through a
fearful process of branding, which is
described in the rebel Opel's, and
many of them have been publicly
.hung in the smaller towns.
The Enquiter again warns the farm
ers that agricultural products must be
sold for still lower prices.
The salaries of Government employ
eeti have been raised one lininlied per
:Cent / to enable them. to procure the no
es4vitries of life. • . ,
G'reat ado is made over the Copper
head disaffection in the North: Every
attack upon President Lincoln's .Ad
ministration is quoted with exaggeia
ted comment. •
From the Army of the Potomac,
Success of General Custer's Cavalry
Movement.
•
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF POTOMAC, I
March 2, 1864.
Gen. Custer started with a force of
cavalry, on Sunday, to make' a recoil
noissaime toward Gordonsville, the 6th
Corps, under Gen. Sedgwick, following
in support. He passed through Mad
ison Court House on Monday morning
and reached Wolfton, a fete miles be
yond, encountered a rebel 'picket,
which he captured. Passing across
the Rapidan and Ravanna rivers in
the direction of Charlottsville, be met
the enemy within . three miles of the
latter place, whore he charged a body
of cavalry under Gon. Stuart, driving
them a considerable distance. Capt.
Ash, of the Fifth United States . Caval 7
(Regulare,) charged on a rebel
camp near this place, with sixty men
droverthe enemy, burned their tents,
six caissons and two barges, and - re
treated' without the loss of a ,man:
This was, ono of the boldest fights our
cavalry has made during the war.
Finding his small force opposed by
infantry, Stuart's Cavalry 'and several
batteries, which opened upon him, and
that a number of trains had just .arri
ved with troops to oppose his advance
he determined to return. , " 1
After crossing tho Ravenna river,
ho burned the bridge, destroyed three
flouring mills filled with grain, and fell
back toward the Rapidan, but his bat
tery horses giving out, he had to halt
for the night. On nearing the Rapi
dan, the nest morning, he mega large
body of rebel cavalry _on, the road . to
Burton's Ford, and skirmished with
them for a time. Ho found the reb
els had concentrated their force at
this point, when he suddenly wheeled
and taking the road to Banks' Ford,
crossed without opposition. The one
my followed some distance, but failed
to inflict any datnifge.
General Custer and his force re
turned to camp to-day with only four
men wounded slightly, and one rather
badly. He captured and brought in
about fifty prisoners, a large number
of negroes, some three hundred horses
and besides destroyed a large quanti
ty of valuable stores at Stannardsvillo.
A. number of rebels were , wounded in
the skirmish at the Rapidan.
HIGHLY IMPORTANT NEWS!
WASHINGTON, MOll 3
Tbis afternoon's Star says we bare
late and interesting information from
the front, to the effect that Gen. Kil
patrick, with a force of picked caval
ry men, has arriVed at the White
House, and farmed a junction with a
force sent'up by Gen. Butler from the
Peninsula.
. These - statements aro based upon
the fact that two of
,Gen. Kilpatricks
-scouts have come back and made the
above retiort..
The report is believed in the Army
of the Potomac that Kilpatrick is thus
within a-few miles of Richmond, and
us Gen. Butler is 'co-operating with
him we may expect to hear of start
ling news from that quarter in a -day
Or two. •
On his route to the White House,
Gen. Kilpatrick, ha.Ving orders. so to
do, avoided meeting any large force of
the rebels: . •
After be had left-the front, another
party of 800 picked men were sent out
to communicate with him. They hoti
eVer met a rebel force, and as their
orders were not to fight if a battle
could - be avoided, they moved toward
the east, and the Commander not stri
king the diredt road, came upon a par
ty of rebels near . ' Vrederieksburg, and
captured them, burnt their eamp,.and
destroyed a quantity of valuable army
stores, and then proceeded..on their
way to join Kilpatrick. -
Official Despatch From Gen. Silpat4
rick.
WASHINGTON, March 5.--The Repub
lican publishes the following :-
We are permitted to publish the
following despatch, received this mor
ning, by the President, from Maj.-
Gen. Butler, covering another des
patch from Gen, Kilpatrick :
HEADQUARTERS, FORTRESS MONROE.
—To the President: I forward the
annexed account. from Gen. Kilpat
rick:
YouttrowN, March 4.-General:
Col. Dah!green was directed to make
a reconnoissance with 500 men on the
James river, ~ •
Ho attacked at 4 o'ckibk P. AL on
Tuesday evening, and drove ene r
My in on Richmond. • '
The main attack having. failed,'Col.
Dahlgreen attempted - to rejoin me
near the Meadow Bridge.. • . . •
He and Col. Cooke - were with the
advance guard: Some fifty men' be.
came Separated froth his main forCe,
since which nothing has been' heard
from hid. ; : • • • ' •
The main force reached me with
Blight loss. I have hOpes he may yet
come in.
(Signed) J. KILPATRICK,
Brig. Gen. Commanding Expedition.
In addition, a rebel deserter inform
ed ono of ray aids that a one logged
Colonel and about one hundred mon
we're taken prisoners.'
I shall hear by flag of truce on Sun
day night and will telegraph again.
(Signed) BENJ. F. BUTLER,
Major-General Commanding.
[For the Globe.]
Enrroit,—There are times when
cold and lifeless apathy seizes the
'heart of civil and religious, society,;
from which the thunder of heaven ,can
not rouse it, till festering disease assails
the -vitals, or external violende breaks
the lethargic slumber. - • The people of
the United States, resting upon the, ef
ficiency of the best constitution in the
world, had forgotten that every, ht-.
man production- is marked with ini
perfectiOns, and felt satisfied that no
root otbitterness could disturb otir.re
pose, or arrest our unparalleled pros
perity. But unfortunately the mother
country had, from selfish. motives;
planted a . deadly nos in the . colonies,
whilst under her control, from - which
our patriotic fathers were unable • to
extricate it, and Slavery, that moral
plague spot on the south side . of our
body politic, has been peranitted to
grow and-fester, until its deadly virus
has deeply affected all_ parts of our
country, north and south, and.finally
burst upon us in the form of rebellion,
and that the. most wicked and cruel
rebellion known to the history of our
race.,
They must be as. infatuated as :the
doomed followers of Charles-the First,
who deny that slavery has, been the
prolific &luso of tho 'cruel rebellion
which is now deluging our land in
blood. They must be prompted- by
the demons who for the first act of se
cession and rebellion were driven from
the portalg of high heaven,. to mingle
their groans With their future follow
ers in hopeless despair: No friend of
human liberty now desires that our
constitution should any longer protect
human bondage. .
As it is now conceded by all the
friends 'of humanity that 'our eonstitd
don must be so changed as to prohibit
shivery from every part.of 'our land,
it is deemed expedient, if not obsolete.
ly necessary, at the same time to make
another change in it, so as clearly and.
explicitly to recognize the name of
God, and of Jesus Christ as the Gover
nor among the nations, and his reveal.
ed Will as the supreme law of the hind.
Has not this "higher law"been repu
diated long enough by selfish and cor
rupt politicians? It is not lofig since
WO of the highest functionaries known
to mir government, at :a social meet
ing at White Sulphur Springs, Virgin
ia, asreedlrkhe following optmon:-
"It is no matter What Our peculiar
views may be, or prejudice may
take possession ofour minds and hearts,
if, as American citizens, we find our
selves constrained by a law, higher or
more imperative than the civil - law;
we thuS deny the obligation which the
constitution imposes, and cab - haVe no
just claim to the protection. and: bleSs
ings which it wafers." .
Such infidel sentiments as the above
became stereotyped by thousands, and
so fashionable as to alarrn the. good
and the wise amongst us.
But is it not well known to all who
inquire after our origin as a nation
that our, pilgrim fathers took their
first lessons on human liberty front
their Bibles?-That God sifted the na
tions of the old world to select a choice
Christian seed to plant in this western
world f—That those humble puritans
after being driven from one place'to
another, finally sought a resting place
here ?—That before they landed at
Plymouth, they wrote' out the first
germ of human liberty ,known to the
continenet—That the earliest :devel
opment Of our 'declaration of indepen
dence and our' constitution emanated
from the christian comniunity of Muk
linburg in North Carolina 7—And that
our bible is, the Altered charter of all
our• rights, both chit and religious ?
And since the hand of a just and ad
offended God has been , lid :heavily
upon us (in . tbe
.Nurthy Oubtless for
our compromise with sin; -and especi
ally our refusing our influence to 'break
the bonds of wiekedness and let the
captives go free" and I'd closing our
ears against the Waif of, Itoe which
came up so long and se Wad' froth the
South for help, should we'. not recog
nise His name and his authority in our
civil constitution ? And, would not
the present be a proper Oita for us to'
pray congress to aid tis , id Securing:
such': a result as has been !frayed for
in secret by thousands of those . MIA'S:
tians who are the salt of *the earth/
and that, without any fear of, thshrt‘
ted union of church and State. It was
the opinion of the father of his corm
try, that no healthy civil Government
could long exist without religion. And
for . praof of:the impotency of htunad
power, we.have only to look at repub
lican France, where the name, of God
was denied, and his word repudiated,
or to Mexico where the Bible is sealed
against the people.
And what would be Our condition in
less than half a century, if we would
shut up the temple doors in all one
land, proscribe the ordinances of God's
worship, forbid the 'observance - of the,
Sabbath and blot out the bible'? , Most
assuredly our loved ;:country would
soon be a proper subject for, some fu
ture Napoleon to Sein and yule with a
rod Of iron.', '
Better, much better foilis in tinie,
to recognise the authority of God as
Ring of nations.. . • -
Our Army Correspondence:_,
Hospital Third Div, ; : First A: :-C:;.
' Culpepper, Feb. 2 7thi• f I .
DEAR GLOBE:-It . is, now _a .long
time since :I hive burdened yoti with
a letter. The cause of the delay has
been lack of interesting matter to
communicate. The late: reconnois-
Bence might have furnished a readable .
page, but we were unable, to forth - an
intelligent idea of it, until the papers .
enlightened nil as to what had - ocetirr:
ed, and what it• had been intended tti
do, and, to say truth, told Jnitit num.:
ber of things which bad not taken
place at all. Writing from „rimier is
a hazardous business, rind' affords Ma•
ny a hearty burst of nierrinfent,
cheer the groups that - round campfires
do congregate,•at the, expense•of the
"sold" correspondent. • -
Everybodyrknows•that "all is quiet
in the army of• the .Potomac." The
units of that army have, notwithstan 7
ding, an individual impression that
there is no deficiency of stirring expe
rience; and I am not sure ;but they
might prefer a day's march that took
them some Where, to a. day's jogging,
back and forth over the same intoler.
able drill ground. The most energet:
is efforts are making to put the army
in the best condition, in every respect,
and with great success. At a review
of the lst corps, which took place on
last Tuesday, every movement was
performed with the greatest precision
and regularity, and not a single blun
der marred the pleasure"of, .the scene.
It is a rare review of *hid': so much
can be said. ' • • '
When . we used to read in the papers
accounts of the 'arrival of large num
hers of deserters from the rebel army,
the boys quite naturally asked,."How
does it happen that we, who stand
here 'on 'the picket line, peering. into
Dixie, never see< them:?" And . their
co a ka-t-itnm • -tbv ,
brought them to . the conclusion that
deserters, though often heard of, were
,
rarelY . 'seen.'- Now, however; the del
sorter is no longer a myth. Half
score of the genus passed' our•tohtS,to
day, and little squads are frequently
Seen with their backs to the Confeder-
acy. The greatest number that we
have seen in one body was-a, sqinnl of
cavalry numbering about sixty. Most
of the squads are small. Fat, jovial
fellows, they generally appear to be,
bearing no traces of thp starvation or
deal through which the south has been
passing, according to the "reliable
gentleman" or the ‘•intelligent contra
band." Appearances are, however,
often deceptive, and it may be that the
thrifty looks of these repentant rebels
are to be accounted • for on . the theory
of Falstaff: "A plague of sighing and
grief; it blows a man up.like a bladder."
That class of the - body military, who
wear shoulderstraps have of late been
seized with a resignatioh favor, and
the service has suffered (?) in conse
quence.• I might, tell 'you of a grand
blow-out given by a 'distinguished. offi
cer' on the occasion of his,release from
the service ; but, from' prudential mo
tives, I. refrain. I might, inadvertent
ly disclose the fact that somebody was
drunk, or, more correctly speaking,
that nobody was sober; and it;would
never, do to make , such an impression.
Bless you, "Globe," officers don't get
drunk 4 Why, they punish every in
stance of intoxication on the part of
privates. They never stagger,. and
have to be assisted.' to find the door;
and, above.all, they never spew: At
any rate, if they do; nothing is to; bo
said aboutlt; ' ' •" "
This delicinelit is. cqnfident that
whatever view`: of his:disposition- may
have been drawn from your columns ;
he, has not; appeared in the etn.racter
of grumbler. , Yet he does seriously
propose to'appear, ere long, as afault
finder,. though only in cases so trans
parent that 'far , from requiring the
keen-eyed vision of a cynic, the fault
is apparent to failing optics, thruogh
inferior. spectacles. One of our motro
politan journals has bit upon the hap
py idea, of 'devoting a portion of its
space to "What Abe soldiers tbink,'?
and I am glad , to see that the'soldiers
are beginning to give, expression. to
their thoughts througlithat, medium;
and it may be that certain - classes may
yet discover that though the soldier's
voice can be silenced, in the • - range
where authority
° gives, impunity, yet
there is atribunal to which he may
• , . .
appeal, and • through which .th e petty
4.lespot may be reached, and made to
feel the rigors of a justice not less-ex
acting thar.. that of courts-martial.—
"Bayonets think." ,1 am sure the men
who handle them think; and'some of
them thinkthat whop this war is o•
vor, and when certaimaetors in it come
before the people to ask their suftra
gas, by way of.compensation for their
patriotic sacrifices, they shall have
something to say. !Ksrk it,
But, as Groatheart said, to giant
Maul, so you may say to me : ."Those
are but generals; come'to particulais,
man."-So I will; but there is a time
for everything, and it is now time to
close this lettu. J. S. B,