O|E 03LLAR PER ANNUM INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. TOWANDA: 1 anw Thursday Morning. September 2b, 186® Sdttftb llottrj. LITTLE MINNIE'S WISH. I wish this war was ended, And lather was at home, Then mother would not cry so much— Uh! why doft't father com'e ? I'm sure my mother loves me, Hut why, I cannot tell, ■She makes no more clothes for mt!, Hut sews on clothes to sell. I a-ked her once about it, But mother could not speak— She only pressed me to her breast, While tears fell on my check. I'm sure there's something very bad lias happened for I know Mv mother did not do this way About twelve months ago. I am too young to reason much, Hut think it very stange. That just because dear father's gone That everything should change. For since he went away, the man That used to bring ns bread. Has ceased to come along this way— I'm thinking ht is dead. I see the milk man still goes by, Hut why, 1 cannot tell, He will not stop at our house, Not even ring Lis bell ; The buclscr, too, that used to be So kind, polite and clean. Will not bring nia one bit of meet, 1 think lie is right mean ; 1 told my ma to change them all, And try some other men ; She sighed, and then came down her cliVek Big tears, like drops of rain. Ma used to have nice furniture— But why. I cannot say. Sin- let a man that had a car, Haul nearly all away. I wish this wat was ended. And father was at leant 5 Then ma. I'm sure would smile again Oil 1 When will lather conic? Miscellaneous. The Battle of Antietam Valley. AMMSO Tiir: BUCK MOUNTAINS, MD., Sept. IS, UG'2. Yt-sV-rday a great battle Was fought in the Aiiiicbah valley, between tiie national army iiii'ler General MeClellan and the whole rebel army ( iiie divisions of the two lib's, J.itk sou's, Longstreot's and Me Laws' divisions) under Gctier. 1 Lee. Our left rcst don the western slope of E k Bulge Mountain, and our right aas at a point, about three miles north of Sharpsburg, the hue of battle stretching across the valley be lWeeti these points. The rebels were massed in mid around Sharpsburg. G 'ii Hooker, who com minded ot our right. Upeueil the buttle at daylight llis attack Was most impetuous, and, though the reliefs fought with great obstinacy, the}' Were driven by noon about a in le and a halt from their fi "st position. Gei Hooker was wounded i" tiie foot, and Gen ll.eketts assumed command uf tii corps. Soon alter Gen, Hooker's advance began, oar batteries on the various eminences became engaged with numerous rebel batteries on the h.ils about Sharp-burg, and a magnificent ur tilhry light, ensued, greatly to our advantage. Tims the battle pissed down the line, ami kbojt noon oar left, under General Brusidt, became hotly engaged there. The battle raged furiously at every point, sod the rebels were driven over three of tin- Euiall spurs of the mouutuin, though they stili kept their order. About nightfall our centre was advanced rqaul to the distance gained by the two wing-, "ml bulk forces loy on their arms ready, op i"irently i to renew the combat at dawn. y.Kf.R BooNsnuao", Sept. 17—Midnight. A glorious victory for the Union arms closes die history of the terrible contest which has waged with frenzy on both sides during days past. The batlle field is in the f'oolestown Valley, near Sharpsburg, and four Diiles from Boonsboro. On either side rise K'Udual slopes of the mountain. The vale be tween these heights is one of the loveliest the hud of nature ever gave as tiie home of His i '-'feature, man. Tiie rebels, acknowledging a defeat on Sun day by their rapid departure Irom the field, a natural stronghold four miles eastward of this •vn, started iu hot liable Irem their position 111 i'oolestowu \ alley. Our cavalry rapidly purmed their rear guard through the streets Ii 0 ' Boonsboro, tin owLg them iuto confusion, taking many prisoners. At daylight on Le morning of yesterday the heaviest figbi g c | the war commenced towards our left, ru r -odjstown, and continued without i ermis | fciou the entire day, resulting at its close iu c " r holding the field fought on, with a;i irn | number of prisoners and the wouuded Cl enemy in our hands. Our loss yesterday was trifling as compared that ot the rebels, who were slaughtered 1 1,1 heaps by the fire of our artillery. Like I v.aaff Before the wind the rebels llew before j e well directed and steady advance of tne "-' J| on lines, leaving theit' dead unboried and L le bounded uueared for iu their hasty depar !,are 1 liis town is today a great hospital or rebel wounded, the victims of the fight of K. rda J w ''h our left wing. The turning of |. the enemy to a certain extent, Iby 1 ,. a< lvance of our left, shortened the gap which the rebels hoped to make their es tl^ e ' a closed upon th. scene of bat a V| ctory for our troops, and a pre- L* morrow the most desperate con- I Modern times, by the side of which even THE BRADFORD REPORTER. | lite hardest and stoutest coutest of the war I becomes iusignificaut. Murky clouds overshadowed the sky at morning's dawn, giving indications of a heavy i fall of rain. This, if it had come, would have i delayed the Carnage frhich has marked this j day's work. But. nothing but a thin mLty I raiu occurred, and this iu no measure inter j ferei with the prosecutien of the day's work ! of slaughter*. At daylight the fight was renewed on the left wing, the rebels opeuing with artillery | from an emiuence on our troops iu a ravine be low. Our artillery responded, silencing iu a treasure the enemy's batteries. Our infantry then steadily advanced, under the cover of the lire from the artillery then supporting the col j umn in the rear. From position to p sit ion were the rebels driven iu this manner. In the centre equal success attended our advances against the rel e' lines. Several magnificent j bone fide, bayonet charges were made by this portion of the Uuion army, all of which were successful. On the right of our lines from nine o'clock this morning a determined contest was waged, at one time with varying success. ! When nightfall came on, success had been glorious on all portions of the iine, our troops driving the rebels at every onslaught upou them to a new position. Your correspondent reached tiie scene about five o'clock. Then the firing was not half so incessant as it had been during the day, but was more rapid and dea'ening than any i have heard heretoiore in the war, exceeding M il vern Hill and Gaines' Mill by far. in the middle of this day I atu told that the can uonuding equalled the roar of lleavin's high : artillery. The position fron which I saw the light, at a point near Gen. McCiellan's head quarters, where the signal corps were work lug, was a magnificent one for observation of the entire !i Id 01 fight Not being ucquuin - eti with the disposition of our own and the rebel lorces, 1 cannot enter iutodetails of tins the greatest buttle of modern times, but hope ! to do so at no r- mole hour. I could discern froui uiy place of observation tlie steady ad vance of our infantry against the enemy, and see the loud mouthed ordnance of the rebels belch forth their missiles of death into their ranks. 1 could see the steadiness of our troops j under the mo.-t galling and rapid fire of the 1 enemy, th y inarched forward to njoin new ground from the enemy. To say that our men fought well hardly expresses a moiety of the valoi displayed on this memorable, never to be forgotten day. The rebels resisted our first attacks with their accustomed valor, stueboriiuess and des peration, and only yielded ground when it was literally covered with dead and maimed The artillery on both sides was splendidly worked, and did terrible execution. The bulk of the lighting lias been done with artillery at close range today, and with terrible ilFct on the rebels. Some brilliant infantry mat ee ivres have been executed or. the field by Cur troops during file (lay. A supporting column has been at hand on our lines during the entire action This fore sight of our great General more than once saved '.lie fortunes of the day from going frith the rebels when they attacked apparently vul nerable points in superior force. At one time a portion of our right wavered under a push ing charge of the enemy. Cover was gained near a fence, and the men ordered to fall on their faces. The enemy's lire passed general ly harmlessly over the heads of our troops, when they arose and poured a destructive vol Icy into their opponents, throwing them iuto such eun.nsiou that the aftercharge of tiie supporting column under General Cox efiec tually finished the work of destruction. The sounds of war have cease,) h-nz since in the earlier part, of the night. Tne fi d whereon was fought this most eventlul light, as far as 1 have examined if, presents a ghast ly appearance, viewed by the glare of the flick ering lights of the sextons o! the battlefield, who are already at their dreadful, yet humane , work. Locked in the embrace of cold, cold j death, alike lay the bodies of thousands of Unionists and rebils, foes no longer disputing at the bayonet's point for the possession o! tiie soil of old Maryland but a few short hoars ago. llow calmly, contentedly they repose now on the hillock side or mountain slope ! What u time for sentiment, when the shrieks una wails of the wounded fall on my ear, borne thither by every breeze from the moun tain. " Let the dead bury their dead." llow the howling winds carry the wailing cry along . as it escapes ftom tlie poor maimed soldiers on the sanguinary field. Methinks I hear its echoes in Northern and Southern homes, in the homes by the Green Mountains, or the magnolia-scented cottages of the sunny South. A truce to moralizing. Soldier true and brave, sleep on in your everlasting grave. •' He has fought his last battle, lie sleeps his last sleep, j No souuil cau awake him to glory again." It is certain that the enemy will give us 1 fight again iu the morning, as they cannot cross the river under our close pursuit. Would that they would surrender and save further i effusion of human blood. To-lay it has pouted rain. The rebels op pear to gain desperation and stubbornness with every recurring disaster. If they fight to j morrow it will be with increased desperation and stubbornness. This eveuing they retreat- , ed rapidly through Sharpsburg, our forces shelling them us they went. Just as the shades of evening quickly gath- j er, large fires are seen iu that direction, light ; ing the surrounding country with a lurid glare, j The shells of our artillery have doubtless kin- : died flames in dwellings and barns, destroying the fruits of years and months of husband ! men's labor and his happy homestead. I would that I eould gOj even at this late hour of the night, exhausted as I am by the fatigue of the saddle during five days' ride of over two huudred miles, iuto the details of a struggle, which the children of my children will read with interest —details that will be transmitted from sire to son for many generations. Such as I am possessed of now are fragmentary and i a some cases contradictory, and would con fuse rather than enlighten. Iu the morning PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AT TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, FA., BY E. 0. GOODRICH. r I I will hie again to the scenes and endeavor to | glean a connected account from the mass of exciting rumors and statements so prevailing ' in the confusion of the night. : j As to the fruits of the victory, they arc bloody indeed—in fact purchased by sufferings such as are all stoutly contested battles. I have heard an officer remark, that this is the only honest battle we have fought—meaning, I suppose, that all of our officers tried to whip the rebels. The conduct of the new troops has been ad mirable, entitling them to the places that they have beeu assigned, alongside of the veteran 1 regiments. They have been, as a general tru -1 ly remarked to-day, " baptized iu blood." The i ordeal through which they have passed, has been a fiery one, that would have blancaed j the checks of veterans of other fields ; and yet • their valor and prowess have stood the test, j a id they vindicate and confirm the confidence our government has eVef had iu her citizen ' soldiery. An immense number of prisoners have fal len iuto our hands,how many it is impossible to ! suy. I met them all along the road, and con j versed with them as they lay in the hospital. They acknowledge a crushing, overwhelming , defeat. Ido not think six thousand is too high an estimate for the number taken in the fights since Sunday. In some cases whole regiments fell into our hands. The enemy's loss in killed and wounded is frightful Our artillery gave them enfilading fires, literally sweeping their advancing col umns, while our infantry charges and fire caused sad havoc. Oar loss is quite severe, especially in offi cers. General and field officers especially fell victims to the rebel lire, which at times, in the earlier purt of the day, was very animated and Well directed Indeed, at one time it seemed as if the rebels, in a desperate on slaught, would break our i tie and throw us into contusion. Thanks to generalship and strong supports, this was not allowed to be so. Our loss in yesterday ur.d today's fights will reach, probably, ten thousand, mostly wounded—the killed not iu the usual propor tion. Tha Objectionable English. Many respectable writers, yielding to a fond ness of novelty put words to quite other uses than 1.-git mutely belong lo litem : ami there is a strong tendency to laxity in the choice ol lnngu ge very u:iu*)ing to all who love exact rioss in English sty le. Chambers' Journal gives a number of specimens of a careless use of words : Aggravate, in the senie of irritate.— " He aggravated me so much that at last 1 struck him. The least reflection on the ety ino'ogy as the word is sufficient to show bow erroneously it is here used. A gentleman might say ;—' His conduct toward me was very insolent ; the offence was aggravated by my having never shown him anything hut kindness." It is probably from its use in such a legitimate count ctiou of ideas, that it has at length come, in loose, common speech, to re present the words insult and irritate. Some. " It took the counsel some two hours to cross-examine the witness."—The proper woid to he used is" about." ltis rerun.fcuble that ltaleigh, B.uton, Milton, Addison and IVior use the word " some" in this objection able way. Progress as a verb "We are progressing favorably." This is a barbarism recently in troduced frcui America. While such words as proceed and advance exist it, seemS a pity t'o adopt a new one out of its old, accustomed 1 sense. Here, too, however, there is not want ing a ceniun classic sanction, for the word is used as a verb by Milton, i Antiquarian as a noun. Antiquarian being the aojective, it is surely best that we use an tiquary as the noun, seeing that it is at our seivice. The language, Iwing varied, is en riched. Talented. "Talents," iu the sense of menl&l abilities, is itself a scarcely legitimate term, being only adopted figuratively from the word in the scriptural parable. When used as above it becomes unbearable. Our language, as it happens, exhibits a poverty of words for men tal ability, yet, " gifted" would lie preferable ( to " talented." " You would wish me to incite you; but I am not g"i;;g to." " Alarh caught the words he was not intended to." The sentences give ex ; ainples of au elision which has become very : common iu the familiar language of the mid dle classes, and is even creeping iuto print.— Let it be condemned aud avoided. Directly , in the sense of when or as soon as " Diicctly the pot is boiling, take it off the fire. " The word is here manifestly used in j wrong relation. As ve'l, in the sense of ai.-o. " lie was very angry, aud I was hot as well." This is another growing grammatical evil much to be , deprei at d. " The question lays in a nutshell-." This sen tance occurred a few days ago in a daily journal of very high repute, it is au exaui | pie of a mi.-take very general in convi rsatioa amongst the middle classes ol the English peo ple jit is unknown in Scotland] the active verb lay substituted for the neuter verb lie— and which most frequently occurs in the pre terite, as " 1 laid down iu bed,' for " I lay down," Ac.; or, " I bad scarcely laid down : iu bed," for " 1 had scarcely lain down," Ac. Left for departed. Thomas.left this morn ing at six. In using the word " left," the men tion of the place departed from is strictly ne ' cessaiy In this connection "In this connection, we may also advert lo the present age." Mean ing, in connection with this fact, or proposi | tion, or group of ideas. This is a piece of corrupt phraseology, which seems to have ta ken its rise in the American pulpit, but is now . spreading in England. j ''Those sort of things fi The proper expres sion to use would be, that sort ot thiDgs, or things of that kind. "John, whom she said was looking another way." This is an example of a direct breach of " REGARDLESS OF DENUNCIATION FROM ANY QUARTER." grammer not uufrequently seen in books. The rila ive pronoun (who,) to govern the verb " was looking ;" the words " she said" being parenthetical. Party, for person. " I a>ked Thomas tf he had long known that party, refering to a gen tleman formerly seen iu Thomas's coaqmny." This vulgarism seems to have taken its rise iu the counting houses and exchange, where, be ing first used legitimately with regard to indi viduals in a bargain, it has at length come to us employed as a general term for au individ ual or person. It onght to be sternly repress ed. To these specimens of improper English may be added a specimen of improper Scotch. The word " canny " is constantly used ic Eng land as a Scotch word, appropriate to a low prudence or roguish sagacity, which Southern people are pleased to attribute to their North ern kinsfolk. Now, if Englishmen feel them selves entitled to use terms of obloquy regad ing the morals of their neighbors, let them do it in correct language. The word "canny'' iu reality, means gentle, innocent, propitious, and has no connection whatever with either cunning or prudence. "The Orpheus C. Kerr Papers." THE HUMOR OF THE WAR. Mr. Newell, whom it is no breach of faith to name as the writer of the " Orpheus C. Kerr Papers," has struck an original vein of humor, and works it with decided effect. The war has given birth to no more amusing book than this. Under date of Washington, April, 1861, " Orpheus" gives his opinion ol the Rebels iu this " COMPREHENSIVE ESTIMATE." The chivalrous South, iiy boy, has taken Fort Sumter,and oi.lv wants to be "let alone." Some things of a Southern sort [ like, my boy; Southdown mutton is fit lor the gods aud Soutiisidu particular is liquid sunshine for the heart • but the whole country is growing tired of new South wails bolero this, and my present comprehensive estimate of all there is of D x e may be summed up in twelve straight lines, under the general heading of it; ruiHA rioy. Wat!) a laarsc-.l palnftetto a f nilhernor s-.it, At i>t!-ig lite ititl ot hi? Panama hat, And trying to lighten his mind ot a load, Uy liuinming the words of the following ode : ! for a nigger, and oh ! for a whip ! Oh ! for a cocktail, and oh ! tor a nip ; Oh ! lor a shot O' .-ely and Beecher ; Oh ' for a crack at a Yankee school teacher. Ol) ! for a captain, and oh ! tor a ship, Oh! for a cargo of niggers each trip. Aud so he kept oh ing for all that he had not, Not contented with owing for all that he'd got. These " twelve straight lines" are worthy of Hood. litre is a fair hit at the way in which the recruiting service was coudmted iu tiie early stages of the war : RECRUITING. The Calcium Light, regiment was recruited at great expense in New York, aud went into camp on Hiker's Island, until Secretary Cam eron ordered his colonel to bring hiui on im mediately for the defence of Washington.— The regiment, has three officers, and will elect the other as soon as his voice is strong enough. He says that he is a regiment of 1,000 men ; he says that 1,000 is simply the figure 1 and three ciphers, and that he represents the 1, and his three officers the three ciphers. 1 believe liiin, my boy ! Yiliiam Biown, of Regiment 5, Mackerel Brigade, asked his colonel last week for leave to go to New-York on recruiting service, and got it. He catne back to-day, and says the colonel to him : " Yv here's your recruits ?" Villiam smiled sweetly, and remarked that lie didn't see it. " Why, you went to New York on recruit ing service, didu't you ?' exclaimed the colo nel. " Yes," says Villiam, " 1 went to recruit tuy health." The colonel immediately administered the oaili to him. The oath, my boy, tastes well with lemon in it. A DEFIANCE TO GREAT BRITAIN. The General of the Mackerel Brigade is no friend to England, lie is reported to have made this strong speech : " We have borne with Great Britain a great while, My boy ; but it is now time for us take Canada, and wipe every vestige of British tyranny from the face of the globe.— The American eagle, my boy, flaps his dark wiugs over the red head of buttle, and as his scarlet ejes rest for a moment on the English custom house, he softly whispers—he simply remarked —he merely ejaculates—Gore ! " Americans 1 fellow-citizens ! foreigners 1 and people of Boston 1 shall we longer allow the bloated British aristueracy to blith us with base abolition proclivities, while Mr. Seward is capable of holding a peu ? " Ilail, blood and tbunder ! welcome, gentle Gore, Let the loud bewgag shatter every shore ! Ilish to the zenith let our eagle liy, Ten thousand battles blazing in his eye ? Nail our proud standard to the Northern Pole, Plant patent-earthquakes in ea h oreign hole ! Shout havoc, murder, victory and spoils, Till all creation crouches in our toils ! Thou, when the world to our behest is bent, And takes the Herald for its punishment, We'll pin our banner to a commet's tail. And shake the heavfens with a big " ALL HAIL 1" " That's the spirit'of America, my boy, ta ken with a nutmeg on top uud a hollow straw. Very good for invallids." The following are amusing bits : A MODEL PROCLAMATION. Finding himself master of the situation, Captaiu Yiliiam Brown called the solitary chivalry to him and issued the following proc lamation : " Citizeus of Accomac ! I come among you not as a incendiary and assassin, but to heal wounds aud be your long-lost father. Several of the happiest mouths of my life were not spent in Accomac, and your affecting hospital ity will make me more than jealonslv-walehful | of liberties and the pursuit of happiness. (See ' the constitution.) " Citizen of Accomac ! These brave men of whom I am a spectator are not your ene mies ; they are your brothers, and desire to embrace you in fraternal bonds. They wish to be considered your guests, and respectfully invite you to observe their banner of our com mon forefathers. In proof whereof I estab lish the following orders : "I. If any niggers come within the lines of the United States Army to give informa tion, whatsomever, of the movements of the enemy,the aforesaid shall have his head knock ed off, and be returned to his lawful owner, according to the groceries and provisions of the fugitive slave ack. (See the constitu tion ) "11. If any chickens or defenceless object belonging to the South be brought within the lines ol the United States Army, by any nig ger, his heirs, administrators and assigns, the aforesaid shall have his tuil cut off, and be sent back to his rightful owuer at the expenses of the Treasury Department. " 111 Any soldier found guilty of shoot ing the Southern Confederacy, or bothering him in any manner whatsomever, the same ; shall be deemed guilty of disorderly conduct, j and be prououueed an accursed abolitionist. j " VILLIAM BROWN, Eskevire, " Captain Conic Section, Mackerel Brigade, com- j manding Accomac." DIGGING OUT REGIMENTS FROM THE MUD. J The mud at present inclosing the Mackeral j Brigade is unpleasant to the personal feelings , of the corps, but the effect at a distance is j unique. " As you survey that expanse of mud from Arlington Heights," continued j Captain Bob Shorty, " with the veterans of , Ihe Mackerel Brigade waiding about in it up ■ to their chins,you arc forcibly reminded of a limitless plum-pudding, well stocked with ani mated rai.-ins." " My friend," says I, " the comparison is apt, aud reminds me of Shakespeare's happier efforts. But tell me, my Blades, has the dredging for those missing regiments near Alexandria proved successful ?" Captain Bob Shorty, shook the mire from his ears and then soys he : " Two brigades were excavated this morn ing, and are at, present building a raft to go down to Washington after some soap. Let us not utter complaints agaiust the mud," con tinued Captain Bob Shorty, reflectively, " for it lias served to develope the genius of New- Eugland. We dug out a Yankee regiment from Boston first,and the momeDt those wood eu nutmeg chaps got their breath, they went to work at the mud that had almost suffocat- | ed them, miked up some spoiled Hour with it, and are now making their eternal fortunes by peddling it out for patent cement.'' THE GENERAL OF THE MACKEREL BRIGADE ON M'CLELLAN. It pleases me greatly to announce, my boy, j that the Genera! of the Mackerel Brigade believes in MeClellan, and gorgeously defends him against the attacks of that portion of the depraved press which has no friends dying of old age iu the Army of the Potomac. " Thunder I" says he to Capt. Bob Shorty, stirring the oath in his tumbler with a tooth brush, " the way little Mac is devoting him self to the military squelching of this here un natuuil rebellion is actually outraging his phis ical nature. He reviews his staff twice a day, goes over the river every live minutes,studies in ternational law six hours before diuner, takes soundings of the mud every time the dew falls, and takes so little sleep that there's twoinches of dust on one of his eye balls. Would you ; bel eve it, 'says the General,placing a tumbler j over his nose to keep off a fly, " his devotion I is such that his hair is turning gray aud will 1 probably dye !" Captuin Bob Shorty whistled. I do not ] mean to say that be intended to be musically satirical, my boy, but if I should hear such a canary bird remark after I'd told a story, somebody would go home with his eyes done up iu rainbows. A TAKE OFF. * * * "Read that ere Napoleon ic dockyment," says Villiam, handing mo a scroll. It was as follows : " KDICK —Having noticed that the press of the United States of America is making a ass of itself, by giving information to the enemy concerning the best methods of carrying on the strategy of war, I do hereby assume con trol of all special correspondents, forbidding them to transact anything but private busi ness ; ueither they, nor their wives, nor chil dren, to the third and fourth generation. "I. It is ordered that all advice from edi tors to the War Department, to the General Commanding, or the generals commanding the armies in the field, be absolutely forbidden ; as such advice is calculated to make the Unit ed States of America a idot. " 11. Any newspaper publishing any news whatever, however obtained, shall be excluded from all railroads and steamboats, in order that country journals, which receive the same uews during the following year, may uot be in jured cirkylatioo. " 111. This control of special correspondents does not include the correspondent of the Lon dou Times, who wouldn't by believed if he pub lished all the news of the uext Christia era.— By order of VILLIAM BROWN, Eskevire, " Captaiu Conic Section Brigade." A WARRIORS St'F.ECH. On reaching Accomac, my boy, we found Captain Villiam Brown at the head of the Conic Section of the Mackerel Brigade, dress ed principally in a large sword and brass but ton*, and takiog the altitude of the suo with a glas9 instrument operating by means oi a bottle. "Ah 1" says Villiam, " you are just in time to hear my speech to the sons of Mars, previ ou3 to the capture of Manasas by the United States of America." Hereupon Villiam motmted ademijobu laid lengthwise, and says he : " Fellow-Anacondas : Having been inform ed by a gentleman who has spent two week at Manassas, that the Southern Coufederaci has gone South for its health, i have eouclud VOL. XXIII. —isro. 17. Ed that it is time to be offensive. Tho great Anaconda, having eluded Barnum, i 8 about to move on the enemy's rear : " ' Rear aloft your peaks, ye mountings. Rear aloft your waves, 0 sea! Rear your sparkling crests, ye founllngi, For my love's come back to me,' The day of inaction is past, and now the United States of America is about to swoop dowa like au exasperated eagle on the chickens left by the hawk. Are you ready, my saga mom reptiles, to spill a drop or so for your soaking country ? Are you ready to rose up M one man ? " ' The rose is red, The wi'lets blue, Sugar is sweet, and Bully for you.' " Ages to come will look down on this day and say : ' They died young' The Present ! will reply :' I don't see it but the present j is just the last thing for us to think aboot.— Richmond is before us, and there let it remain. We shall take it in a few years : " It may be for years and it may be forever, Then why art thou ailent, 0 pride of me heart V which is poickry. I hereby divide this hero j splendid urmy into oue corpse dammt, aud take i command of it." At the conclusion of this thrilling oration, my boy, the corpse damme formed itself into a hollow square, iu the centre of which appeared i a mail clud ambulance. THE CAPTURE OF MANASSAS. | Onward moved the magnificent pageant to* i ward the plains of Manassas, the Anotomicai Cavalry beiug in advance and the Mackerel Brigade following closely after, j Arriving on the noted battle field, we found ! nothing but a scene of desolation ; the Rebels ! gone ; the masked batteries gone j and noth i ing left but a solitary daughter of the sunny | South, who cursed us for invading the peace ful homes of Virginia, and theu tried to sell us stale milk at six shillings a quart. When Captain Villiam Brown surveyed this spectacle, my boy, his brows knit with portentous anger, and says he : " So much for wasting so much time. Ah I" says Villiam, clutching convulsively at his cautceD, " we have met the enemy, and they are hours—ahead of us." IRRITATING THE SOUTH. Like four-aud twenty thunder-storms, tha howitzers roared together, and bad not the Orange county veterans forgotten to put In any balls, there is reason to belieVe that some windows would have been broken Another discbarge, however, was more successful, as it knocked the top oft' the chimney. The Southern Confederacy appeared at tht wiudow again, and says he : " If you fellows don't quit that racket down there you'll irritate me pretty soon." * * * " Mr. Davis," says Samyule to the Confederacy at the window, " it we do not irritate you, will you consent to be reconstruct ed ?" " Reconstructed ?" says the Confederacy, thoughtfully; "reconstructed I Ah I" say, be, " you mean, will I consent to be born again ?" " Yes," says Samyllle, metaphysically; " Wilt yon consent to be borne again, as we have borne with you heretofore ?" The Confederacy thought awhile, and then says he i " Consider me reconstructed." As thut was all the constitution asked, of course there was no more to be done, and the Orange County Howitzers returned to their original position in the mire—the English gen tlemau remarkiug that the appearance and discipline of our troops wefe satisfactory to Albion. Fighting, accordiug to the constitution, my boy, is such an admirable way of preventing carnage that some doctor ought to make out a patent fcr it as a cheap medicine.'* A dog at Hertford England, lately picked a ten pound note from the mud, aud after drying it by the stove, ptit it into ht4 master's hand. This is very well for Hertford! but we kuow a dog that is accustomed to go every day to get a pennyworth of meat, which is scoped against him, and oue day seeing tha butcher make two marks instead of one, he did not seem to notice it, but watching bis opportunity, seized a double amount, aud ran home with it iu a great state of glee. Passably intelligent ; but there Is a New foundland dog in Biootnington that knows a trick worth two of that. His master recent ly gave him a basket, and said : "Carlos, take that ba?ket and go to market." The dog trot* tedjoff aud seized a paint brush, and commenc ed illustrating the basket with beautiful stripes. " What are yod doing, Carlos,to the barket V yelled the dog owner. " I'm going to mark it," quieliy replied Carlos. Kay " Biddy," said a lady, "I wish yoa would step over and see how old Mrs. Jones is this morning." Iu a few miudtes Biddy re turned, with the information that Mrs. Jones was just seventy-two years, seven months and two days old. The following slanderous paragraph goes unrebuked: A wag has invented a uew telegraph. He proposes placing a line of women thirty steps apart, and commonicat# : the uews to the first of them as a secret. The latest news from the West is that the rebels bod blockaded the Ohio river at Hamilton, nine miles below Risig Buo, Indiana, stopping the passage of boats from Louisville. At Muufordsville Colonel Wilder was still hold ing out gallautly againts the rebels. He had been reinforced, as had the enemy also, it was said, by Generals Polk and Buckner, Tbelr force is estimated at twenty-five thousand.— General Duel was reported at Dripping Springs on Mondaymorniog ; and it was said on Toes day that he had got op to the fight and waa then engaged. g©- An army should always be ready for uiarchiDg orders by keeping itself in marching i order.