Progress of the War.
late and interesting News.
The Petersburg Express, of yesterday, gives an interesting narrative of the invasion of Smithfield, a handsome village in late of Wight county, Va., received from a gentleman who resides in that place:
The Yankees in Isle of Wight.
About 11 o'clock, Saturday forenoon, a schooner was discovered coming up Pagan creek, flying the Confederate flag. The few citizens in the place saw at once that it was a Yankee craft in disguise, because they knew that Norfolk had been evacuated, the Merrimac blown up, and the Federal gunboats had undisturbed possession of James river and its tributaries. No one turned out, however, to meet the vessel, and just as she neared the wharf the Confederate flag was lowered, and the old ‘"Stars and Stripes"’ run up in its place. Having made fast, the party landed, and meeting with a solitary contraband on the wharf, inquired if the place was deserted. ‘"Mighty near, sir,"’ was darkie's response.They then asked the negro for the residence of the Mayor, and commanded him to pilot them to the spot. Headed by a Yankee officer, of the rank of Captain, named Drake Dekay, and attached to General Mansfield's staff at Newport News, the party, about forty in number, started towards the residence of the Mayor, following the lead of the sable pioneer, who they had pressed into service. Upon reaching the house it was ascertained that the Mayor was absent, but the servants were made to open the building, and told to prepare refreshments instantly, as they had no idea of leaving until after dinner. In the meantime, some three or four gentlemen who had been watching the movements of the invaders, thought it best to wait upon them and ask their intentions. They did so, and were told by Capt. DeKay that they had come for the purpose of establishing the flag of the United States over Smithfield, and that they would require every man of any prominence in the village to take the oath of allegiance to the United States.
Robert Whitfield, Esq., late delegate to the State Convention, refused to take the oath, and was immediately told to consider himself under arrest, and prepare to leave for Fortress Monroe Several members of the Town Council were also required to take the oath, which they did after some hesitation. One old gentleman named Smith was required to take the oath, with the understanding that he would be allowed to remain, but under no circumstances was he to leave Smithfield. He replied that he had a sick wife about 20 miles distant, and that all the powers of earth could not prevent him from visiting her. They then agreed that he might visit his wife, but positively enjoined upon him not to go one mile further.
The house of the Mayor was rummaged and pillaged of every article of value, and a bountiful repast partaken of, cooked from provisions found in the building.
A party wandered off to the store of Messrs. Thomas & Adams, broke it open, and stole many articles of value. All the liquor found was seized, and buckets stolen from the store in which they carried it off. Having complete possession of the place, the marauders did as they pleased and stole what they liked. They were armed with pistols and cutlasses, and no resistance whatever was offered by the few gentlemen who remained in the village.
When they were about to leave, Mr. White field asked the privilege of going to his office to arrange some matters, which request was granted, but he was told to be sure that he met them at the wharf. He promptly fulfilled his promise, but upon reaching there, to his surprise found the party had hoisted sail and put off, while a regular Yankee gunboat was in full sight and rapidly nearing the wharf. The sight of this boat, as it was afterwards ascertained, had greatly hastened the departure of the first party.
Upon the arrival of the gunboat an officer came ashore, who proved to be Major Clancey, of one of the New York regiments now stationed at Old Point. He promptly inquired what had been the proceedings of his predecessors, and expressed great surprise and indignation when informed of the course they had pursued. He said that they were wholly unauthorized, and directed the release of Mr. Whitfield, who, true to his promise, was on the wharf, carpet bag in hand, and ready to sail for Fortress Monroe. Major Clancey declared that the United States desired no man to take an oath of allegiance to its Government and that those who had taken it in Smithfield might consider themselves as released from all obligation whatever.
A mean, sneaking-looking creature, who had always been suspected by the people of Smithfield stepped up to the Major, and told him of the whereabouts of a Confederate schooner laden with coal which had been intended for the Merrimac, but upon hearing of the destruction of that vessel the schooner was run into Pagan creek and past Smithfield to save it. The sneak added that he would like to go to Old Point with the Major, as he was a Yankee, too. ‘"B — n it, I am no Yankee; I am a citizen of New York,"’ indignantly replied the Major. The miserable traitor withered under this remark of the Major's, and in a moment was nowhere to be seen, Major Clancy remained only a short time, during which he assured the few citizens remaining that they would not be harmed or molested in any way; and if any such marauding party as that which had visited them during the early part of the day should again make their appearance, communicate the fact to Fortress Monroe, and the thieves should be held to a strict accountability.
The former party, we hear, visited the residence of John Todd, Esq., a few miles below Smithfield, broke open the dwelling, which had been deserted by all its white occupants, and stole two gold watches, several pieces of plate, and every other article of value in it.
Major Clancey may profess great devotion to law and order, and endeavor to lull the people residing near the river into a sense of security, but we would advise them not to be deceived by any such professions. Remove every article of value far from the reach of Yankee hands. They have acted from the beginning of this war with the basest duplicity, and they have stolen every article of value upon which they could lay their hands. A Yankee cannot live without pilfering. This fact has been too well established to be successfully controverted.
Yankee Doodle in Arkansas.
Our intelligence from the distant State of Arkansas comes along very slowly. The latest paper received is the Little Rock True Democrat, of May 8th, which gives some intelligence of the Yankee invasion not hitherto published in this section:‘ Our city, during the past week, has been filled with rumors and reports of the advance of the Federals in Arkansas. Some put the whole force at 20,000, others as low as 6,000.--A number are coming or have come down White river and a larger force down Black river. The people in the section of country around Batesville, to the number of three or four hundred, gathered and gave the Federals a fight near Batesville. The enemy were soon reinforced, till they numbered several thousand, and the patriots were compelled to retire. The people are deficient in ammunition. If they had this and a few supplies, they would meet the enemy and drive him back. During the first few days of the week, there were 1,600 Federals with six mounted howitzers at Jacksonport.--They said that they expected supplies up white river, evidently looking at the possession of Memphis and the Mississippi river as a foregone conclusion. The majority of the people here seem to think that we are to be visited by these gentry. Others believe that such a visit is contingent upon the result of the battle at Corinth, and if defeated there, the Federals in Arkansas will take the back track. Except the boast of occupying the Capital of the State, there is nothing to induce them to come here. All the stores and army supplies have long since been removed. There is not enough meat or bread stuff here to feed the people, much less an army.
’ Since the above was written, we learn they have advanced to Searcy, in White county, where they will probably wait until supplies come up White river, or until they are reinforced. Searcy is distant fifty miles from Little Rock.
Missouri matters.
Persons directly from Missouri (says the Little Rock True Democrat of the 8th inst.) tell us that the war is raging fiercely in the Southwestern portion of that State, and in Kansas McBride fought the enemy for three days at Cassville, and finally whipped them. This is something more than a skirmish, as there were four or five thousand of the enemy and some twenty-five hundred patriots engaged. The former were reinforced and this protracted the contest, but at last they fled. McBride took three or four hundred prisoners and a number of wagons, army stores, etc — The battle, our informant says, began last Sunday week. The stirring events east of us have fixed attention in that quarter so that the important scenes in Missouri are over looked. Kansas city was visited by patriots lately, and as the narrator graphically expresses it, was ‘"cleaned out"’ A party of Stand Wattles men eighteen in number, made an attack upon four hundred Federals encamped at the lead mines. This was a night attack, and the Federals fled unusual. The assailants gathered the wagons, some machinery and other, property, set them on fire an alert before their small numbers could be ascertained Hardly a day passes in Missouri without a skirmish or battle, and the Federals are leaving. This may be one reason why they have come down into Arkansas.
Gen. Sterling Price.
The army correspondent of the Savannah Republican, in a recent letter from Corinth, thus speaks of the old war horse of Missouri.I heard unusual cheering some days again one of the camps near my present quarters, and upon inquiry I found that it proceeds.
from some Missouri regiments. Their gallant, and heretofore invincible leader, Gen. Price, had just arrived with the rear guard of his army, and this was the first time the men had seen him for ten or twelve days. It was evident from the heartiness of their demonstrations, that they were as glad to see him as it he were their father. They have a number of familiar names by which he is designated in the camp, such as ‘"Pap,"’ ‘"Dad,"’ ‘"The Old Tycoon,"’ ‘"The Fox of the West,"’ &c. No officer in the army possesses the confidence and affection of his men to the same extent as this favorite leader.--He is fifty-five or fifty-six years old, is six feet high, weighs two hundred pounds, has grey hair, and a fair, round face, beaming with kindness and intelligence, and, in some respects, reminds me of one of your best citizens — the excellent President of the Bank of the State of Georgia. He does not find it necessary to surround his headquarters with surly sentinels, nor to swell his staff with a set of gay butterflies, in the share of volunteer aids de-camp, whose business it is to ride fine horses, return curt answers to respectful inquiries, make as much fuss as possible, and render, themselves generally disreputable and ridiculous. He is accessible to all, and has a kind and respectful-word for every one. And yet he is fierce and energetic, and has unlimited influence over his men, who would gladly follow him to the death.
Hallack sent a message to Gen. Price a short time since, by a gentleman who was passing the lines. ‘"Tell Gen. Price,"’ he said, ‘"that he had the advantage of me in Missouri for he knew the country better than I did but I have got him now where I want him, and expect to capture him and whip his army soon."’ ‘"When you go back,"’ was Price's reply, ‘"say to Gen. Halleck that he has not men enough in his army to capture me. And as to whipping my boys, tell him he may select 100 of the best men in his whole army, and I will take the same number of mine as they come and without distinction. He shall lead his 100 men, and I'll lead mine; and I will go into an open field to fight it out; and the fate of the Southern Confederacy shall depend upon the result. Tell him that, will you?"’ I have not heard that Halleck sent any reply.
Jeff. Thompson's report.
The following dispatch from Gen. Jeff. Thompson is a good thing in its way, notwithstanding the anti-nautical phrase of feathering an oar around a quarter deck:
We Missourians concluded to day to celebrate the anniversary of the Camp Jackson massacre. We have shown the enemy that we still own the Mississippi river, and can ‘"run the blockade"’ whenever we choose.
We gave them a few butts this morning to show them our power, and after a handsome little scrimmage of thirty minutes, we backed down the river to our post; with two men killed and eight slightly wounded.
The officers are all safe, with more confidence than ever, and our boats are uninjured. The Van-Dorn, Captain Fulkenson, has covered our fleet with glory, and all, from Commodore Montgomery down to the powder boys, behaved like soldiers and gentlemen, and proved themselves as good men as ever feathered an oar around a quarter deck or butted a Yankee.
The Marion of the War.
With regard to the recent exploit of the famous Col. John Morgan, the Atlanta Confederacy, of Tuesday last, says:‘ As soon as he collected a little force at Sparta, where his men rendezvoused after being scattered, he put out through Kentucky till he struck the railroad above Bowling Green. There he seized upon two trains, which he completely destroyed, and burned up the deposit. He destroyed two of the bridges which were burned down last winter on evacuating Bowling Green. He took a Federal paymaster prisoner, who was on one of the captured trains, and $30,000 in Federal funds. He also captured near one hundred Federal soldiers, who had been sick at Louisville, and were returning to Nashville to be sent to their commands, their health having recovered. Those he paroled, paid them off all that was due them in the Federal funds he had, and sent them back to Louisville.
Morgan, with his squadron, is now in Chattanooga, bright, fresh, and confident as ever — ready for another operation of the same kind. We are informed he will be here today. Our people had rather get, a sight of him than Queen Victoria. Again we say, Hurrah for Morgan!
’ We add to the foregoing the Yankee account of the exploit, which comes to us in the Northern journals under date of Louisville, May 11:
‘ One hundred and fifty of Morgan's cavalry at noon to-day captured forty-eight freight and four passenger cars and two locomotives at Cave City, Ky. Morgan supposed the train would contain 248 cavalry prisoners, bound northward.
The operator at Cave City, however, gave notice of these facts to Bowling Green, and stopped the upward train. Among the captured Unionists were Majors Helvetii and Coffee, both of Welford's cavalry, and one other Union officer and three or four soldiers.
The rebels burned all the above cars, except two, and the locomotive, which brought the passengers back to Louisville.
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Scott's Louisiana Cavalry.
We have published several notices of the gallant band under the command of Scott, a partisan leader, who bids fair to equal Morgan in the boldness of his movements. The following account, written by the Corinth correspondent of the Mobile Register, is worthy of perusal:‘ Our cavalry are now pouring over the Tennessee, and soon Huntsville and Columbia will be in our hands.
Scott's exploits on the road between Tuscumbia and Athens are the most brilliant on record. Attacking the 19th and 24th Illinois regiments, a battery of artillery, and Zimmerman's cavalry, near Tuscumbia, Captain Fenelton Cannon, of Scott's Louisiana regiment, killed, wounded and captured fifty or sixty. Captain Cannon's force was one hundred men, of which not one was materially hurt.
Pressing forward, Scott crossed the Tennessee and Elk rivers, and with 160 men attacked the 18th Ohio regiment, 700 strong, at Athens, and routed them, killing, wounding and capturing 100, taking their camp, tents, ammunition, wagons, horses, provisions, etc, also 105 muskets.
Capt. John Williams pursued one detachment to Elkton, and Capt. Cannon burnt the Limestone creek bridge, ten miles from Huntsville — throwing off twenty car loads of coffee, sugar, rice, etc., which he also burnt — killing 20 and taking 7 prisoners.
Scott's ammunition now gave out — no reinforcement came up, and Mitchell came on him from Huntsville with 8,000 men.
In the face of this force, Scott re-crossed both Elk and the Tennessee rivers, driving back the 4th Ohio cavalry, 400 strong, who attacked his rear guard, killing their Colonel and 16 men.
This daring feat is worthy of record, from the fact of Scott's crossing into rivers on frail flats, and leaving them in the rear whilst he attacked five times the number of his force.
The rejoicing of the people of Athens and the vicinity was great. The ladies turned out in great crowds and presented Col. Scott with a Confederate flag.
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The real State of the case.
The Wilmington Journal, of Tuesday last, publishes an article designed to show how private property and private rights are respected:‘ Last week Mr. Jas. K. Hatton, of Washington, N. C., was arrested in his own house, torn from his wife and children, lied like a dog, and thrust into a jail. A gentleman named Stanly was also tied and carried off to jail, together with his son. A gentleman in Hyde county has also been imprisoned for refusing to take the Lincoln oath. A guard of soldiers has been placed over the house of Mr. James R. Grist, who is thus a prisoner in his own house. It is said that Mr. Wm. Grist is in jail, but this is only a report. Of the waste and destruction of property, of the stoppage of labor, of the insubordination encouraged by the enemy, it is unnecessary to speak, as it would be impossible to convey any adequate idea of the real state of things. We have heard of a long list of these outrages, exceeding all previous belief and will refer to them again. Something must be done, or the Eastern part of our State will be ruined.
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North Carolina.
The Yankees are publishing in Newbern a paper which they call the Weekly Progress, which, from the extracts we have seen, is too weakly to make much progress. The issue of last Saturday contains the following extra ordinary effusion:‘ The information which we give below is gratifying to the lover of his country. North Carolina at last begins to awake to the fact that J. Davis& to have been making a cats paw out of the Old North State to poke their chestnuts out of the fire, and refuses longer to submit to the disgrace and burden which has been imposed upon her by the scoundrels at Richmond. The old patriotic fires which burned so brightly at Atamance and Mecklenburg are rapidly developing themselves, and we trust will burn with an increasing brilliancy upon the alters of liberty. North Carolina is in a fair way of being regenerated from the thraldom of sin and rebeldom. We trust that this may prove the has binger of better days, and that bright prospects are ahead for our beloved country. We obtain the news by way of Washington, and direct from Raleigh.
The arrest of Mayor Respass, of Washington, N. C., who was seized in the night time
in the most summary manner and hurried off to Richmond in irons, is creating a most intense excitement in the State. The Governor of the State, (who is not in prison as reported) reached by the Convention, sent a peremptory demand to the Richmond authorities for the immediate delivery of its persons of Mayor Rearras, who was kept in close confinement. His trial was in process when they received the demand, and the authorities at Richmond informed the committee sent by Gov. Clark that there were a few more witnesses to appear in the case, and they desired to complete the trial. The committee informed the authorities at Richmond that the person of the Mayor must be given up forthwith, otherwise North Carolina would send a force to back up the demand of the Convention. Mr. Respass was delivered over to the committee, and went to Raleigh rejoicing. He was set at liberty, and is now on his way home to Washington, where the Union citizens are preparing to give him an ovation. This committee was also instructed to, and did, deliver an order to the Virginia chivalry that North Carolina was capable of managing her own affairs, and that no more of her citizens must be taken out of the State.
In connection with this matter, we also learn that J. Davis, a few days since, ordered Gov. Clark to furnish them with all the meant of transportation and defence possible, to aid him in the passage to and through the cotton States, and also for additional troops. Gov. Clark, backed by the Convention, informed him that he had received all the aid from North Carolina that he could expect, and that hereafter no more troops would be permitted to leave the State, and has ordered all the North Carolina State troops home.
Gov. Clark informed the rebels that they could use the railroads in retreating home wards, and that they would run their own risk of being intercepted by a Union force at any part of the State.
The above information comes from a member of the Convention.
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