aaasfi 
magnificent scare yesterday. The rising wafer has 
inundated the hanks of the river and the whole 
surrounding country, and in many cases has carried 
off fences and farming paraphernalia of all hinds. 
In the present instance the ravenous waters seized 
upon a small farm house, and carried it off, leaving 
only the roof above the surface. The five mile 
current soon carried it into the rebel lines, and they 
espying it, immediately concluded that it must he 
some device of Yankee ingenuity for doing mischief. 
If it wasn’t a floating battery it must he an infernal 
machine; and if it wasn’t an infernal machine, if 
must he an immense torpedo, or at least some cule 
invention for running the blockade. So they opened 
upon it and sent shot and shell thick and heavy 
around it 
IVe have penetrated a magnificent cotton region, 
have taken and now hold and run more than 100 
miles of railway, well stocked with machinery and 
in fine condition. I have abandoned the idea of 
ever coming nearer to an enemy than long cannon 
range. This is the third State through which 1 have 
hunted him without, success. 
continuous firing, a breach was made, and prennra- 
■» 0 M for storming were about to commence, U, ln 
the rebel flag was struck. We have captured 47 
guns, 7,1100 shot and shell, 40.000 lbs. powder. 3*3 
prisoners, with their small anus and accouterments 
and a good supply of provision*. One of our men 
was killed and none wounded. 
The Ellen S. Terry, from Newbern 18th and TTat- 
teras 18tb, arrived at New York on the 20 th. She 
sailed in company with the transport Haze tor Fort¬ 
ress Monroe, with dispatches for McClellan. ITat- 
tcras lights were lighted on the 17th. Four compa¬ 
nies of the 8 th Connecticut had a skirmish on the 
12 tb with a force of 150 rebels, who made a sortie 
The old house stood tho bombardment 
’ bravely, and, although pierced in a hundred places, 
it still floated calmly on, and fairly run the gantlet 
of all the batteries, when, fearing lest it should 
escape them, a brave and venturesome body of 
secesh charged upon it and boarded it. They 
climbed upon the ridge of the roof, sat astride and 
peeped through the cracks. They inserted their 
bayonets under tjie hoards and shingles and ripped 
them up, and there, in the solitude of an imprisoned 
garret, with the turbulent waters bubbling within a 
few inches of her feet, they found an antiquated cat, 
whose serenity was undisturbed by the fearful race 
she had run, and whose only anxiety seemed to be 
to get out of her uncomfortable position. The 
details, as given by a refugee, were very ludicrous. 
The rebels mourned a large amount of powder and 
shot wasted, and nary Yankee circumvented.” 
The Siege of Yorktown.—I t is stated as an 
interesting fact that in the Revolutionary siege of 
Yorktown, Washington had no Southern troops. 
Ills force, numbering about twenty thousand men, 
consisted chiefly of New York, New Jersey, Penn¬ 
sylvania and New England regiments. Soldiers 
from the self-same region are now before Yorktown, 
prepared to battle for tbe maintenance of that inde¬ 
pendence and unity which their Northern fore¬ 
fathers won on that memorable historic ground. 
Tiif. Game of Brag.— Gen. A. S. Johnston, in a 
letter to Jeff. Davis, gives us a little insight into the 
rebel policy. He says: 
“ I magnified my forces to the enemy , but made 
known my true strength to the Department and the 
Governors of States. The aid given was small. At 
length, when Beauregard came out in February lie 
expressed his surprise at the smallness of my force, 
and was impressed with the danger of my position. 
I admitted what was so manifest, and laid before 
him my views for the future, in which he entirely 
concurred.” 
This was in reference to Fort Donelson, hut the 
game did not win. Gen. Grant was not caught 
with chaff. 
A Touching Incident.— The venerable mother— 
nearly if not quite four score—of one who recently 
fell bravely leading on his troops in battle, gazed 
calmly upon the face of her son, after his body was 
brought home for burial. At last a movement was 
made by a friend to cover the face. The noble 
woman put him gently aside, and carefully perform¬ 
ing the act herself, said: “ My son, I have covered 
you many times before; now 1 do it for the last 
time, and with the flag of your country!” 
How Alarmists are Treated at Newbern.— 
Dr. .1. II. Thompson, a surgeon attached to General 
Burnside’s command, having been guilty of creating 
a false alarm, relative to the approach of the enemy 
in a large body upon our army at Newbern, was 
disposed of by tbe Commanding General in the 
following characteristic order: 
HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OK N. C., \ 
Nk weeks, April 4. 5 
General Order, No. 24.—Dr. J. H. Thompson, 
Brigade Surgeon, 1st Division, is hereby relieved 
from duty with the 1st Division, and will report 
without delay to the Surgeon-Genera! at Washing¬ 
ton, with the recommendation to the President of 1 
tbe United States that he be dismissed the service 
as an alarmist 
It is expected that, all important and reliable 
information should be duly reported through proper 
channels, but the stern realities of active warfare 
rob the soldier of quite sufficient of his rest and 
sleep without the aggravations of senseless rumors 
and imaginary dangers, and those who create or 
report them will be at once, expelled from this 
departments By command of 
Major-General Burnside. 
driven to the fork Capt. Schaffer and a private of 
Co. II were wounded. The rebels carried four of 
their meo into the fort, one supposed to be dead. 
During the engagement, Fort Macon fired seventy 
shots at the engaging forces. Building of fortifica¬ 
tions continue, and great preparations are making 
for bombardment. Operations will bo opened on 
tbe 21st with mortars and siege guns. The Terry 
brings eleven dead soldiers, also a number of men 
from various of our regiments at Newbern, and 
$250,000 from soldiers for their families. Health of 
troops good. 
The United States steamer Hercules, Thos. S. 
Dungan, Lieut, Commanding, reached Baltimore on 
the 14th, having with her the schooner Pride, pre¬ 
viously noted as being captured, and the sloops 
Wren and Velma, both of great Wyeomico river, 
western shore of Virginia, also prizes. 
Commodore Dupont reports to tbe Department, 
under date of April 6 th, the schooner Julia Worden 
and the schooner Lydia and Mary were captured in 
Cape Rowen passage, between tbe Santee river and 
Charleston—the first, on the 27th and the second on 
the 29th ult.—by the U. S. bark Restless, acting vol¬ 
unteer Lieut, Conroy commanding. Their cargoes 
were rice and corn meal. He also reports that the 
ship Emily St. Pierre, of Charleston, from Calcutta, 
was captured on the 18th ult,, by the blockading 
squadron, while steaming directly for Charleston 
harbor. Her cargo consisted of 2,173 bales of gin¬ 
ning cloth. Com. Goldsborough sent her to Phila¬ 
delphia for adjudication. Most of her crew went 
north in the steamer Oriental, which left Port Royal 
on tbe 2 $tb ult. 
Tbe English sloop Coryndl, of Nassau, N. P., 
was captured by the Susquehanna,Capt, Lagner, on 
the Morning of the 3d, about two mi I os froth Charles¬ 
ton bar. She had a cargo suitable for and in great 
demand in a Southern port, Capt Lagner sent her 
to Philadelphia for adjudication. Another schooner 
was run ashore by the blocking vessels on a South¬ 
ern island, where she remains a wreck. 
Itccord of the Meijje of twlnud No. 10. 
The eeige of Island Number Ten being one of 
the most memorable, as it is oue of the most im¬ 
portant events of the war, we have prepared the 
following brief chronicle of the occurrences of each 
day irom the beginning of the bombardment up to 
the time of the capture of the rebel stronghold: 
March 15.—Commodore Foote, with several gun¬ 
boats and part of the mortar fleet, left Hickman 
for Island Number Ten, 
March 16.—Bombardment commenced. 
March 17.—Rifled gun on board the St. Louis ex¬ 
ploded, killing and wounding 14 men. 
General Pope repulsed the gunboat 
fleet at New Madrid, 
and captured one of his camps. The troops passed 
on the next day at two in the morning. The 
advance, under Colonel Bayard, of the First 
Pennsylvania cavalry, was attacked by a body of 
infantry and cavalry, and had a hot skirmish, 
in which we lost five men and fifteen horses killed 
and sixteen men wounded. Several of the enemy 
were killed and wounded in the charge made on 
them by Col. Bayard. The number is not reported. 
The Colonel had his horse shot four times. The 
command then drove back the enemy’s forces, which 
consisted of a regiment, of infantry, one of cavalry, 
and a battery of artillery, who retired across the 
Rappahannock without further resistance. We 
were unable to save the bridges, which were pre¬ 
pared for burning by having tar, shavings and light 
wood in the cribwork, and which were fired as soon 
as the enemy crossed. 
From Banks’ army we learn that his troops occu¬ 
pied ML Jackson on the 18th instant The rebels 
resisted our advance in order to gain time for the 
burning of the bridges and the railroad cars, engines, 
etc., which they had accumulated at tbe terminus of 
the road, but our movements were sudden and the 
retreat of the rebels so precipitate that we were 
enabled to save the bridges, two locomotives and 
some cars. All these had been prepared with com¬ 
bustible material for instant conflagration. Many 
prisoners have been taken and several horses cap¬ 
tured from the enemy. The troops have acted 
admirably. Col. Carroll’s brigade of Shields’ divis¬ 
ion led the advance on the back road to tho rear of 
Mt. Jackson, and McCall on the turnpike. Gen. 
Williams, with his main division, brought up the 
reserve column. We shall occupy Newmarket to¬ 
night. Gen. Shields has so far recovered as to com¬ 
mand his division in person. 
The following has been received at the War 
Department: 
Department of Shenandoah, April 17—5 P. M. 
To Hon. E. M, Stanton, Secretary of War :—Our 
troops occupy Newmarket to-night,’ There has 
been some artillery skirmishing, but no loss on our 
side. We have many prisoners. 
N. P. Banks, Maj.-Gen. Commanding. 
Nuwmarkft, April 10,1S82. 
To Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War :—Our 
advance guard occupied Sparta this morning, eight 
miles in front of this place. For the first time in 
their retreat, the rebels burned small bridges on the 
road, obstructing, by the smallest possible means, 
the pursuit by our troops. Some dozen or more 
bridges were thus destroyed, but immediately re¬ 
constructed. 
Our reports indicate a weakening of the force at 
Gordonsville, and no contest there, the whole result¬ 
ing in a belief that they arc concentrating at York¬ 
town. I believe Jackson left this valley yesterday. 
He is reported to have left Harrisonburg yesterday 
for Gordonsville, via the mountain roads. lie 
encamped last night at Grangertown. 
N. P. Banks, Maj.-Gen. Commanding. 
Newmarket, April 20, 1802. 
To Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of fVittr :—The 
(light of Jackson, via the mountains, towards Stan- 
arusville and Orange Court House, on Gordonsville, 
is confirmed by our scouts. N. P. Banks, 
Major-General Commanding. 
In that case it evidently means there will be no 
contest there. 
Fremont’s corps de armee seems also to be mov¬ 
ing. The following intelligence is from the Moun¬ 
tain Department: 
Wheeling, Va. April 20, 1862. 
To Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War :— 
Intelligence just received from Gen. MUlroy, states 
that the enemy, numbering about 3,500, with two 
batteries and two rilled gnus, are constructing forti- 
Tiie Navy Department has invited proposals by 
mail or telegraph, to the 30th inst,, at noon, with 
general specifications and plans of construction of 
one or more of four iron gunboats for Mississippi 
and Gulf service, with t%vo turrets, on the plan of 
Ericsson’8 battery, for eleven-inch guns; thickness 
of iron plates to be eight inches, and sides to be 
plated with iron of three inches thickness, in one or 
two layers, to extend two and a half feet below (he 
load line; vessels to be not less than 220 feet in 
length and 55 feet in breadth, and not to draw over 
6 feet of water when ready for service, to be pro¬ 
pelled by Bcrews, to insure a speed of 9 knots or sea 
miles per hour; and state terms and price. 
The P. O. Appropriation bill provides $1,000,000 
for the service of the California Central route, and 
repeals the acts requesting the P. M. General, in 
causing the transportation of the mails by steam¬ 
ships between the United States and foreign ports, 
or between any ol our own ports touching at foreign 
ports, to give the preference to American over for¬ 
eign steamships departing from tbe same port for 
the same destination within three days of each other. 
The P. M. General is authorized to establish a coast 
mail, not less than semi-monthly, by steam vessels, 
between San Francisco and Crescent City, Cal., 
including service at the intermediate ports, provided 
the sum to be paid for such service does not exceed 
$20,000 per annum. 
The President has approved and signed the above 
Mil. 
The Post Office Department has received informa¬ 
tion that newspapers from nearly all the principal 
cities of the North and West, addressed to offices 
long since discontinued, in rebel States, are being 
sent in large numbers to tho Post Office at Nashville 
for distribution. Those papers cannot be forwarded. 
They accumulate at that point to such an extent as 
to make it difficult to find room for them in the office. 
To relieve the Postmaster from the heavy burden 
thus improperly imposed upon him, it lias become 
necessary to instruct him to sell as waste paper such 
aB cannot be delivered or forwarded under the 
present protest arrangement 
An amendment has been adopted in Congress to 
the bill fixing the number of Representatives in the 
House. The following table shows the number of 
members assigned to each State, under the census of 
1859 and that of 1860: 
1850. I860. 1850. I860. 
Alabama..7 6 Michigan 4 6 
Arkansas_2 3 Minnesota 2 2 
California_2 3 New Hampshire.. 3 3 
Connecticut.4 4 New Jersey. 5 5 
Delaware.1 1 New York.33 31 
Florida_ 1 1 North Carolina... 8 7 
Georgia_8 7 Ohio.._21 19 
Illinois.9 14 Oregon..1 1 
Indiana.11 11 Pennsylvania.25 24 
Iowa ............ 2 6 Rhode Island_2 2 
Kansas..1 1 South Carolina ... 6 4 
Kentucky.10 9 Tennessee..10 8 
Louisiana_4 5 Texas_2 4 
Maine.. 6 5 Vermont_3 3 
Maryland.0 5 Virginia_13 11 
Massachusetts_11 10 Wisconsin.3 6 
Mississippi-6 6 — — 
Missouri.7 9 Total 238 241 
The following is the President’s Message on 
Emancipation in the District of Columbia: 
Fellow Citizens of the Senate and House of Repre¬ 
sentatives :— The act entitled an act for the release 
March 18. 
A rebel transport, loaded 
with cannon, reported sunk by the fire from the 
fleet. 
March 19.—Commodore Foote reports the Island 
harder to conquer than Columbus. Firing contin¬ 
ued night and day. 
March 20.—Cannonading continued all day. All 
the guns but one in the upper battery reported 
dismounted. Hollin’s ram sent from Memphis. 
March 21.—Firing continued at intervals. 
March 22.— But little firing from the gunboats, 
to which the rebel batteries made no reply. 
March 23.—Mortars fired with considerable regu¬ 
larity all day; result not ascertained. 
March 24.—Firing continued at intervals; rebel 
batteries replied seldom. 
March 25.—Affairs unchanged. 
March 26.—Main works of the enemy reported 
overflowed. Operations slackened. 
March 27.— Firing continued at intervals only. 
Residents captured report the rebels fifteen thou¬ 
sand strong. 
March 28.— Heavy firing from the fleet Upper 
battery reported silenced; enemy lost sixty killed 
and twenty-five wounded; rebels constructing now 
batteries. 
March 29.—Firing very heavy. 
March 30.— Heavy bombardment, to which the 
rebels make no reply. 
March 31.—Same condition of affairs. 
April 1.—An expedition from the fleet proceeded 
to the upper rebel fort and spiked six guns. 
April 2 .—Operations not reported. 
April 3 .—Rebel heavy floating battery detached 
from shore and drifted down the stream. Gunboat 
Deparrmeni of Ilie Mississippi. 
Major-General Hai.leck arrived at Pittsburg 
on the 18th inst, and immediately assumed com¬ 
mand of the army. 
Recent intelligence from Corinth confirms pre¬ 
vious reports concerning the magnitude of the 
enemy’s force. Re-enforcements were arriving for 
Beauregard at an unexampled rate. He has now 
100,000 men, and is fortifying Corinth, building 
entrenchments and constructing an abattis. The 
rebels entertain no doubt of success next time. 
On the Tuesday following the battle of Pittsburg 
Landing, where our brave Western boys decked 
themselves with fresh laurels of victory, the rebel 
General Beauregard sent a flag of truce to our 
victorious army, requesting permission to bury their 
dead, and saying: “Owing to the heavy re-enforce- 
ments you received on Sunday night and Monday, 
and the fatigue of my men, I deemed it prudent to 
retire and not renew the battle.” 
To this request, and the cool apology for the 
defeat sustained, Gen. Grant replied: 
Headquarters of tiik Aiurv in tub Field, ) 
1'iTTSnuRG, April 9. j 
To Gen. P. T. Beauregard, A'c .:— Your dispatch 
of yesterday is just received.' Owing to the warmth 
of the weather I deemed it advisable to have all the 
dead of both parties buried immediately. Heavy 
details were made for this purpose, and it is now 
accomplished; there can not, therefore, be any 
necessity of admitting within our lines the parties 
you desire to send, on the ground asked. 1 shall 
always be glad to extend courtesy when consistent 
with fluty, and especially so when dictated by 
humanity. I am, Ac., U. S. Grant. ’ 
A special to the Chicago Journal, from Cairo, says 
that Beauregard called a council of war of all the 
best rebel Generals before the Pittsburg battle. 
There were present Pillow, Floyd, Breckinridge, 
Bragg, Cheatham, Sid. Johnston, Bnshrod Johnson, 
the rebel Provisional Governor of Kentucky, and a 
few other Generals. The following policy was fixed 
on: If they beat us, they would follow us up and 
drive us north as far as possible. If beaten, they 
would withdraw their forces and make a desperate 
Btand in the Gulf States. 
Yan Dorn did not reach Corinth till the fighting 
was over. 
The following telegraphic dispatch is from the 
gallant and active General Mitohel: 
Headquarters, Tnntn Division, \ 
Huntsville, April 15, 1802. j 
The enemy have burned bridges to stop my 
advance upon Chattanooga, and have used the same 
brilliant strategy to hold my column back from 
Corinth; but for this we should this day have entered 
Tu 8 cumbia and Florence. 
posit ion occupied yesterday 
by Smith, was entrenched last night, So that we have 
been able to prevent the enemy from working to-day, 
and kept his guns silent The same result at the 
batteries at Ilyom’s Mills. 
Yorktown was shelled by our gunboats and some 
of our barges, without effect. There has been a 
good deal of firing from the Yorktown land batteries. 
Headquarters or the Armv ok tite Fotomac, ? 
April 18. 1862. j 
An official report has been received at headquar¬ 
ters giving the list of killed and wounded in tbe 
engagement between the 3d Vermont regiment and 
the enemy, on W ednesday. Information, as far as 
received, puts the killed at 32 and the wounded at 
90. Ten of the latter will probably prove fatal. 
The conduct of the Vermont troops on the occasion 
is spoken of in the highest terms, earning for the 
Green Mountain boys laurels only won by the 
brave. They were forced to retire, the rebels being 
re-enforced. ‘ The loss of the enemy must have been 
heavy. Geo. B. McClellan. 
Thirty-nine wounded from Yorktown arrived at 
Fortress Monroe on the 19th, making 70 in all 
wounded in fighting on the left flank on Thursday. 
The whole number was 32 killed and 90 wounded. 
Gen. Magriuler’s report of the same fight in Norfolk 
papers, gives 25 rebels killed, including Col. Mc¬ 
Kinney. and 78 wounded. 
Intelligence lias been received from the Potomac 
flotilla, which, on the 14th instant, visited Urbana. 
The boat’s crew was sent ashore there, but when 
within live yards of the beach were fired upon from 
rifle pits. No one was injured. The Jacob Bell 
being nearest, immediately opened fire upon the 
rebels, which scattered them in every direction. 
After this the flotilla proceeded on its voyage towards 
Fredericksburg. Arriving opposite Lowry’s Point 
batteries, they commenced from the whole fleet to 
shell the works and fortifications, driving out the 
pickets who have occupied it since its evacuation, 
twelve days ago, by a large body of rebels. After 
shelling, the boat’s crews landed, and proceeded to 
Items am) Incidents of the Wav. 
One of the effects of the recent Federal victories, 
says the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph, was the extraor¬ 
dinary and general rise in the price of sugar, in the 
expectation of a re-opening of trade. 
Relief for Thirst.— The Springfield Republi¬ 
can has already recommended as a relief from 
thirst, for the soldier, a clove taken into the mouth, 
to promote the flow of saliva and relieve the irrita¬ 
tion, without the evil effects of bad water and 
worse whisky. Many other substances are almost 
equally useful, not including tobacco, for with that 
the saliva cannot be swallowed. We have heard 
another suggestion. A soldier said that on a long 
and fatignur? march, tea was a great refreshment, 
Granted, but in the desert fields of Virginia, a man 
is not, at his own tea-table. Doubtless a cup of 
Mocha coffee would be equally acceptable. No, he 
said, a comrade had a little box with him, filled 
with tea, and each day merely took a few leaves in 
his mouth. We might believe it, or not, but it was 
as good as a cup of tea. It is worth trying. Let 
those.who are putting up a box tor pet soldiers put 
in a few cloves and some tea, with these suggestions. 
The Rebels Bombarding an Old House.—A 
correspondent of the Chicago Times sends the fol¬ 
lowing from Island No. 10: —“The rebels had a 
The act entitled an act for the release 
of certain persons held to service or labor in the 
District of Columbia has this (lay been approved 
and signed. I have never doubted the constitu¬ 
tional authority of Congress to abolish slavery in 
the District, and have ever desired to see the 
National Capital freed from the institution in some 
satisfactory way, and hence there has never been, 
in my mind, any question upon the subject except 
one of expediency, arising in view of all circum¬ 
stances. If there be matters within this act which 
might have taken a course or shape more fiati. fac¬ 
tory to my judgment, I will not attempt to specify 
them. 1 am gratified that the two principles of 
compensation and colonization are both reorgan¬ 
ized, and particularly applied in the act. In the 
matter of compensation, it is provided that the 
claims may be presented within ninety days upon 
the passage of the act, but not thereafter, and there 
is no saving for miuors and femmes covert, insane or 
absent persons. I presume this is an omission by 
mere oversight, and I recommend that it he supplied 
by an amendatory and supplementary act. 
Abraham Lincoln. 
