division first, Humphrey’s next, Griffin’s las*, 
Switzer’s brigade being the extreme rear guard. 
The return hud been conducted noiselessly and 
was unknown to the enemy, or if they did know 
it, deemed it prudent not to follow, or else they 
were oxecutiug a similar retrogade movement. 
Every military precaution was taken to secure 
our retreat. A continual line of battle was kept 
up by retiring infantry. Rifle pits were estab¬ 
lished, abattls laid, trees felled, und Waterman’s 
R. I. flattery brought up the rear. No enemy 
was seen until reaching U. S. Ford, where a few 
rebel cavalry showed themselves about a mile 
distant, but were scattered by a few shells. We 
reached the ford, one by one, the regiments on 
the pontoons; the engineer corps took up the 
pontoons, and our army had reached the Rappa¬ 
hannock. Forage, buggage and ammunition had 
preceded us, and before dark the army occupied 
the tents and ground they had occupied just nine 
Hays previous. 
The N. Y. Times correspondent who accom¬ 
panied Stonoman’s raid, gives reliable particulars 
thereof. It appears his whole farce crossed the 
29tb of April, at Kelly’s Ford. Gen. Averill 
moved to Orange and Alexandria Railroad; the 
rebel regiments, after skirmishing, retired to¬ 
wards Gurdonsville; only two of our.men were 
wounded. Gen. Buford crossed the RapiUun at 
Morton’s Ford, Thursday, causing 1,GOO rebel in¬ 
fantry to hurriedly vacate Racoon Ford, where 
Gen. Gregg soon afterwards crossed, and 
minor captures were made, 
prisoners an aid of General Winde, who was 
captured with his escort far within the entrench¬ 
ments outside of Richmond. The cavalry have 
marched nearly 200 miles since the .‘kj of May. 
They were inside the fortification* ofdW.’hinon'd 
on the 4th, burned ail the stores at Ay leu's Sta¬ 
tion ou the Mettuponaon the 5th. and’destroyed 
all the ferries over the Pamunkey and Metta- 
pona, a large depot of commissary stores near 
anti above the Rappahannock, and came in here 
iu good condition. They deserve great credit 
for what they have done. It is one of the finest 
feats of the war. Rufus Kino, Brig.-Gen. 
of the United States when called out by thn 
President for that, purpose; and. 
Whereas, It is claimed, and in behalf of pe r _ 
sons of foreign birth within the ages prescribed 
in said act who have heretofore declared on oath 
their intention to become citizens under and 
pursuance of the laws of the United States, and 
w ho have not exercised their right of suffrage nr 
any other political franchise under the laws of 
the United States or of any of the States thereof 
are not absolutely prevented by their aforesaid 
declaration of iutention from renouncing their 
purpose to become citizens; and that, on the con¬ 
trary, such persons under treaties or the laws of 
nations, retain a right to renounce that, purpose 
and to forego the privilege of citizenship and 
residence within the United States, under the 
obligations imposed by the aforesaid act of Con¬ 
gress. 
Now, therefore, to avoid all misapprehension 
concerning the liability of persons concerned to 
perform the service required by such enactment 
and give it full force and effect, I do hereby order 
and proclaim that no plea of alienage will he 
received or allowed to exempt from the obliga¬ 
tions imposed by the aforesaid act of Congress 
any person of foreign birth who shall have de¬ 
clared on oath his intention to become a citizen 
of the United States under the laws thereof, and 
who shall be found within the United States at 
any time during the continuance of the present 
insurrection and rebellion at or after the expira- 
Department of the South. 
A kepokt came to Newbern on the 5th that the 
North Carolina banks had refused to pay their 
assessments to the Confederate Government, in 
which determination they are sustained by Gov¬ 
ernor Vance, who reiterates the threat to recall 
the rebel troops from this State. 
Many of the reputed rebel sympathizers lately 
ordered outside of the lines, have been permitted 
to remain upon giving satisfactory assurance of 
loyalty. 
The establishment of a court, at Newbern, sim¬ 
ilar to that instituted last October at New 
Orleans, is very generally desired by the citizens 
and business men. Several important cases, in¬ 
volving large amounts of property, are awaiting 
adjudication by some legal tribunal. 
On the 5th. Lieut-Col. Lewis, of the Sd New 
York cavalry, made a reconnoissance with a bat- 
tallion of his regiment, from Newport to Pettie’s 
Mills, where Capt. Booth’s rebel companies were 
Stationed, Col. Lewis taking the. enemy by sur¬ 
prise, ordered a charge, which resulted in the cap¬ 
ture of the rebel camp, 35 horses, 11 prisoners 
aud accompanying equipments, without any loss 
on our side. Twenty of the enemy were killed. 
The Commanding General of this Department 
having been officially apprized that Gen. Wild is 
coming hither to raise an African brigade, in¬ 
forms ihe Secretary of War that he will not, only 
give Gen. Wild all the assistance in his power, 
but will enter into the work cheerfully, believing 
that the black troops will fight, 
A Newbern letter of the 2!Hb states that the 
portion of North Carolina lying north of Alber- 
marle Sound, east of the Chowan River, is 
now embraced in the Department of General 
Dix, and under the immediate supervision of 
General Peck. 
General Foster has established the following 
Districts in his Department: 
1. Of the Neuse, General Naglee, headquarters 
at Beaufort 
2. Of the Albemarle, General Nessells, head¬ 
quarters at Plymouth. 
3. Of the Palmlico, General Prince, headquar¬ 
ters at Washington. 
The several companies of the First North 
Carolina regiment are being concentrated, and 
will be commanded by Col. McChesney, late 
Captain of the bib New Jerpey. 
The 44tb and 27th Massachusetts regiments 
have arrived at Newbern from Washington. 
General Palmer made a successful recon nois¬ 
sance toward Kingston, and returned, after 
driving the rebels from their position behind 
earthworks, within eight miles of that place. 
The chief participators in the affair were the 45th 
Massachusetts and 54th Pennsylvania. 
Skirmishing to a great extent had been going 
on in the vicinity of Newbern and Washington. 
The enemy have been repulsed at every point, 
and considerable numbers of rebel prisoners 
have been sent to Newbern. 
L*avks fall, but lo, the young buds peep I 
Flowers die, but still their seed shall bloom I 
From death the quick young life will leap, 
When spring shall come aud touch the tomb. 
The splendid shiver of brave blood 
la thrilling through our country now, 
And she who in old time* withstood 
The tyrant, lifu again her brow. 
God's previous charge we sternly keep 
Unto the final victory; 
With freedom wc will live. Or sleep 
With onr great dead who set us free, 
God forget us when we forget 
To keep the old flag flying yet. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y., MAY 16, 1863. 
To Hon. Gideon Welles :—I have the honor to 
inform you that by an arrangement with Gen, 
Grant. I attacked the batteries at Grund Gulf 
this morning, which were very formidable. 
After a tight of five hours and thirty minutes, we 
silenced the lower batteries, hut failed to silence 
the upper one, which was strongly built and had 
guns of heavy caliber, and thu vessels were un¬ 
manageable in the swill current. 
I fired but feebly toward the last, and the ves¬ 
sels all laid by and enfiladed it, while I went up 
a short distance to communicate with Gen. 
Grant, who concluded to land the troops and 
inarch over a point two miles below Grand Gulf. 
J sent the Lafayette back to engage the upper 
battery, which she did, and drove the poisons 
out of it, as it did not respond after a few fires. 
At 6 P. M. we attacked the batteries again, 
and under cover of the fires, all the transports 
passed by in good condition. The Benton, Tus- 
cumbia and Pittsburg were much cut up. having 
24 killed and 50 wounded, but they are all ready 
for service. 
We land the army in the morning on the other 
side, and march on Vicksburg. 
David D. Porter, 
Acting Rear-Admiral, Mississippi Squadron. 
The War Department on the 8th received the 
following: 
Flag 8inr Benton, Grand Gpi.f, > 
Mississippi, May 3, 1863. J 
To Hon, Gideon Welle*:— I have the honor to 
report that I got under way this morning, with 
the Lafayette, Carondolet, Mound City and 
Pittsburg, and proceeded up to the forts at 
Grand Gulf, for the purpose of attacking them 
again, if they had not been abandoned. The 
enemy left before we got up; blowing up their 
ammunition, spiking their guns, and burning or 
taking away the lighter ones. The armament 
consisted of 13 guns in all. The works are of 
the most extensive kind, and would seem to defy 
the efforts of a much heavier fleet than the one 
which silenced them. The forts were literally 
torn to pieces by the accuracy of our fire. Col. 
Wade, the commander of the batteries, was 
killed, also his chief of staff. Eleven men were 
killed that we know of, and our informant says 
many were wounded; no one was permitted ‘to 
go inside the forts alter the action began, except 
those belonging there. We had a hard fight for 
the forts, and it is with great pleasure I report 
the Navy holds the door of Vicksburg. 
Grand Gulf is the strongest place on the Mis¬ 
sissippi. If the enemy had succeeded in finish¬ 
ing the fortifications, no fleet could have taken 
them. I have been all over the works, and find 
them as follows: 
One fort on a point of rocks 75 feet high, cal¬ 
culated for six or seven guns, mounting two 
7- inch rifles, one 8-iuch, and one Parrot gun on 
wheels, which was carried off. Ou the left of 
this work is a triangular work, calculated to 
mount one heavy gun. These works are con¬ 
nected with another fort hy a covered way, and 
double rifle pits extending one-fourth of a mile, 
constructed with much labor, and showing great 
skill ou the part of the constructor. The third 
fort commands the river in all directions. It 
mounted one .splendid Blakely 100-pounder, one 
8- iucb, and two 30-ponndere The latter were 
lying burst or broken on the ground. 
The gunboats had so covered up everything 
with earth, that it was impossible at first to see 
what was there, with the exception of the guns 
that were dismounted or broken. Every gun 
that fell into our hands wag in good condition, 
and we found a large quantity of ammunition. 
These are by far the most extensively built 
works, with the exception of those at Vicksburg, 
that I have seen yet, and 1 am happy to say we 
hold them. I am dismounting the guns and get¬ 
ting on board, the ammunition. 
Since making the above examination, new 
foils have been passed nearly finished. They 
have no light guns, but were complete of the 
kind as regards the position, and bad heavy field 
pieces in them, David D. Porter, 
Acting Rear Admiral, Mississippi Squadron. 
some 
Friday our forces 
got close on the heels of t he rebel force at Orange 
Springs, who to escape abandoned their wagons, 
provisions, Ac. A rebel Lieutenant of Jackson's 
staff was captured. 
On Saturday Louisa Court House was occu¬ 
pied without opposition by Col. Kilpatrick, and a 
few rebel soldiers captured. The track and rail¬ 
road toward Gordonsville was destroyed for ten 
miles. Two trains of cars were burnt and the 
telegraph destroyed. During the night a de¬ 
tachment, ot the 1st Maine cavalry on picket duty 
were attacked by the rebels and two killed. The 
enemy disappeared on t he advance of the brigade. 
Sunday afternoon a command moved to Thump- 
sou’s four corners. One parly destroyed a por¬ 
tion of the road between Gordonsville and 
Charlott8ville. Another 400, who were under Col. 
Wyndham, proceeded to Columbia, on the James 
river, and destroyed five locks on the canal, 
burned three caiyti boats, five bridges, and a 
large quantity of commissary stores. An at¬ 
tempt to destroy the aqueduct was nnsucreseful. 
Several hundred horses were taken. A party 
under Capt Drummond, of the 5th cavalry, be¬ 
tween Columbia anil Richmond, destroyed the 
locks aud levels, and set lire to the bridge across 
the James river. Gen. Gregg proceeded to the 
Fredericksburg railroad, at Ashland, and de¬ 
stroyed the depot buildings, stock, a train of cars, 
provisions, and the telegraph. He sent a force 
to burn the railroad bridge over the South Anna, 
but it was too strongly guarded and the party fell 
back. 
On Monday Gen. Gregg returned to Thomp¬ 
son Four Corners, but a portion of the command 
under Col. Kilpatrick, moved eastward to the 
Central railroad, destroyed the bridges on that 
road over the. South Anna, captured and de¬ 
stroyed a train of cars, culverts, and railroad 
track for miles, and then passed down the Penin¬ 
sula. Another portion of Gen. Gregg’s com¬ 
mand, under Col. Davis, of the 12th Illinois, 
crossed the road near Richmond, destroying rail¬ 
road, telegraph, and bridge over Brook river, and 
railroad trains. Anather detachment burned all 
the turnpike bridges over the South Anna to 
prevent the enemy from making a flank move¬ 
ment to catch Stoneman in a trap. 
On the 4tb, Hampton and D. H. Lee, with two 
brigades, attacked sixty of the 5th Cuvalry on 
picket duty near Shannon Hill. Their charge 
was met by a counter charge, and the rebels 
were repulsed; but rallying, they captured 17 of 
our men. Our force captured 13 of the enemy. 
Gen. Buford advanced and the enemy fled. 
On the night of the 4th Gen. Gregg moved to 
near Yanceyville. followed next day by Gen. 
Stoneman, with Gen. Buford’s command. Sev¬ 
enteen army wagons were here captured. On 
the 6th a retrograde movement commenced, aud 
crossing Raccoon ford, the whole party arrived 
at Kelly’s ford on the morning of the 8th. Our 
whole loss is two killed, and not over 80 wound¬ 
ed and taken prisoners. 
At 0 o’clock on the 4th inst, Gen. Peck sent a 
force of infantry, cavalry and artillery across the 
Nansemond River at Suffolk to make a recon- 
noissance. They advanced cautiously up the 
old Petersburg Turnpike, and when two miles 
out encountered the enemy’s rifle pits, which 
were thoroughly manned. The 89th New York 
and 13th New Hampshire regiment made sepa¬ 
rate and successful charges upon the rebel works 
and carried them. After a heavy resistance the 
enemy retreated and fell back out of range, leav¬ 
ing their dead and some wounded on the field. 
During this time the drawbridge and battery, 
and our army gunboat. Smith Briggs, Capt. Lee. 
were playing npon the enemy, doing good execu¬ 
tion among the sharp-shooters secreted in the 
woods. la the afternoon onr troops came npon 
a rebel masked battery situated two miles and a 
half north of Suffolk at four o’clock. Davis’ 
Massachusetts battery and the gunboat Smith 
Briggs commenced shelling it out After thirty 
minutes the rebels returned fire, which was kept 
up on both sides until sunset, when the enemy’s 
battery was silenced. 
The following was received at the headquar¬ 
ters of the army on the 8th inst: 
Yorktown, May 7. 
To Major-Gen. HaUeck :—Colonel Kilpatrick 
with hie regiment the Harris Light Cavalry, 
and the 12th Illinois, have just arrived at Glou¬ 
cester Point opposite this fort. They burned 
the bridges over the Chickahorainy, destroyed 
three large trains of provisions in" the rear of 
Lee’s army, drove in the rebel pickets to within 
two miles of Richmond, and have lost only one 
Lieutenant and 30 men. baviug captured and 
paroled upward of S00 prisoners. Among the 
The Army in Virginia. 
In our last issue we chronicled an advance 
of the army under Gen. Hooker. After crossing 
the Rappahannock several dayB fighting ensued 
and our forces were finally compelled to re-cross 
the river and take up their old position. 
The N. Y. Times correspondent states that al¬ 
ter three days’ skirmishing on both sides, the 
rebels on Saturday afternoon and evening at¬ 
tacked our right flank, Jackson, with his whole 
corps of 40,000 men, throwing himself impetu¬ 
ously on Gen. Howard’s 11th corps, but the 
movement was only partially successful, and 
re-enforcements being promptly sent by General 
Hooker, the rebels were handsomely cheeked. 
Howard’s corps consisted of Schurz’s, Stein- 
wehr’s and Devons’ divisions. The correspon¬ 
dent states that Carl Schurz’e division disgrace¬ 
fully abandoned their position behind their 
breastworks and rushed, panic-stricken towards 
headquarters. Our right was thus completely 
turned aud the rebels in a fair way of doubling 
us up. 
Hooker was immediately in the saddle, and 
turning to the commander of his own old corps. 
Gen. Berry, shouted, ‘‘General, throw your men 
into the breach; receive the enemy on your bay¬ 
onets. Don't tire a shot. They can’t see you.” 
They rushed gloriously at double quick to the 
rescue, pressing forward a horrid array of glit¬ 
tering steel. The enemy were checked and 
returned to the breastworks just abandoned by 
Howard's corps. Batteries were immediately 
massed on the crest of the hill, pouring in a ter¬ 
rific fire until far in the night Gen. Pleasanton 
also cheeked a flying battery of a dozen pieces, 
drawing up bis brigade of cavalry with drawn 
sabers to protect the guns. He had them double 
shotted with canister and swept the enemy’s po¬ 
sition murderously. Iu this charge the rebels 
took from Sclwrz’e division 12 pieces of cannon. 
The German’s fled past Hooker’s headquarters 
in a panic, many members of the staff, with 
pistols aud sabres vainly endeavoring to stay 
their flight. What made this retreat most disas¬ 
trous was the fact that SicklcB had by a branch 
road pierced the enemy’s center, penetrated lor a 
mile, cut them in t wain, and secured the key to 
victory, when the turning of Howard’s position 
obliged him to retreat, bringing off 400 rebel 
prisoners. The artillery combat continued till 
midnight fiercely. 
On Sunday, at 5 o’clock in the morning, the 
rebels could lie plainly seen on the plank road 
about a mile and a half from Hooker’s headquar¬ 
ters at Chancellor House. Our line of battle 
was immediately formed and in half an hour uur 
advance became engaged. Soon battalion after 
battalioD became engaged, the enemy advancing 
his infantry in overwhelming numbers and seem¬ 
ing determined to crush ours. Sickles and 
Slocum’s brave men, however, held them in 
check, inflicting dreadful slaughter upon them. 
French's division was sent in on our right flank 
and soon crushed that portion of the enemy’s 
line, and at 8 o’clock in the morning French sent 
his compliments to Hooker, stating that he had 
charged the rebels and was driving them before 
him. Five whole rebel divisions were thrown 
npon Sickles, but he and his gallant soldiers held 
the traitors in check, taking during the day an 
aggregate of over 2,000 prisoners. The fight was 
a desperate hand to hand conflict, and the carn¬ 
age was perfectly frightful. Officers say that the 
dead aud wounded rebels covered the ground in 
heaps. The rebels literally threw themselves 
upon the muzzles of our guns. Mott’s brigade 
made fifteen distinct charges, and captured seven 
stands of rebel colors. The 7th Now Jersey,Col. 
Francis, alone captured four stands of colors and 
five hundred prisoners. 
The engagement lasted from 5:30 to 8:45 A. M.. 
when, lieing out of ammunition, our forces held 
their position for an hour at the point of the 
bayonet, when upon being re-supplied they fell 
back in good order to Chancellor House, where 
the contest was again maintained with great 
havoc to the enemy and considerable loss to our¬ 
selves. The vicinity of Chancellor House was 
soon the theater of the fight and Hooker main¬ 
tained his headquarters there till lo o'clock, when 
it was burned by a rebel shell. In the meantime 
Hooker had established a new line. Our forces 
were withdrawn to that front, and at 11:30 mus¬ 
ketry firing ceased. The engagement lasted six 
hours, and was the most terrific of the Avar. 
The N. Y. Herald's Falmouth correspondent 
gives the following account of the re-crossing of 
Hooker’s army: 
The assigned order of withdrawal was Sykes’ 
JLIST OF NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. 
Comrnifinii,n Mnrchantfl—Cornell & Son. 
Cincinnati An’I VVsrehOU»« & Seed Store—F A Schwill. 
The Fanner's Bee-Hive—Jasper Hazen. 
Early Potatoes—J Rapalje. 
Special Notice*. 
Flax and Hemp Culture—D I) T Moore. 
Demand for Gold—I) B De Land & Co. 
Coughs. Colds—Brown's Bronchial Trochea. 
®l)c News i£onbcii0cr 
— Governor Seymour has vetoed the Broadway Railroad 
bill. 
— Several persons in Boston are taxed over a million of 
dollars. 
— Whiskey is selling in Little Rock, Arkansas, at $2.50 
a drink. 
— Cassius M. Clay sailed on Thursday week as Minister 
to Russia. 
— General Burnside has taken in hand the Knights of 
the Golden Circle. 
— The slave harks Ardennes and Emily, at New York, 
have been condemned. 
— There is a movement on foot in England to prohibit 
the sale of beer ou Sunday. 
— The Great Eastern was to sail from Liverpool for 
New York on Saturday week. 
— A national convention of veterinary surgeons is to be 
held in New York ou June 9tli 
— A Quareutine has been established at New Orleans, 
as regards vessels from Havana. 
— Commodore Hitchcock captured two blockade run¬ 
ners off Mobile on the 17th ult. 
— The St, James Episcopal Church, in Pittsburg, was 
destroyed by fire on Sunday week. 
— Gen. Roseerons is forming a fatigue corps of freed- 
men who have come into his lines. 
— There are 843 vessels in the English Navy, with a 
tonnage of 725,573, and 14,050 guns. 
— A sister of Gen. Hooker, Mrs. Thompson, died sud¬ 
denly in Cincinnati, a few days since. 
— Pope Pins is dying. The question of his successor 
is being already vigorously discussed. 
— Gen Fremont has suggested the employment of freed 
negroes in building the Pacific Railroad. 
— The Sanitary report of our Western armies shows an 
improved and highly favorable condition. 
— The solid men of Boston—70 individuals, firms and 
corporations—are taxed over $3(10,000,000. 
— Parson Brownlow, in a letter to a Chicago Loyal 
League, says:—“Loyalty leads to the field. 1 ' 
— Ralph AValdo Emerson Is to he the orator for the neit 
commencement at Waterville College, Maine. 
— Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe is building a house in 
Hartford, Conn , and preparing to settle there. 
— The ship Princess Royal, from Liverpool for 
was lost in the ice on the 1st inst ; crew *.xved, 
— The Provost Marshal General, Col Fry, already em¬ 
ploys 30 clerks in perfecting the details of a draft. 
— A Paris confectioner recently diod of nervous par¬ 
alysis of the heart, induced by excessive smoking. 
— A woman in Leavenworth, Kansas, was fined $5 not 
long since for wearing a long train dress iu the street- 
— There are now three hundred and seventy-seven 
soldiers in the several military hospitals of Cincinnati. 
— The Era of the 23d ultimo announces the arrival Ot 
Gen. Ulmann aud his brigade at New Orleans on the 20th. 
— An invalid corps, for garrison duty, is to be formed 
to be composed of partially disabled wounded officers and 
men. 
Movements in the West and South-West 
Kentucky.— Gen. Carter crossed the Cum¬ 
berland below Somerset on the 2d inst, with five 
thousand men, attacked the rebels at Monticello, 
Ky., and after a severe light, drove them from 
the town. 
Tennessee. —A dispatch to the Hon. John 
Forsyth, of Mobile, from citizens of Brookville, 
dated 2'2d of April, sLates that t.he Unionists cap¬ 
tured Mayhew, ou the Mobile and Ohio railroad, 
twelve miles from Columbus, Miss. Twenty 
miles of the Central Mississippi road, from Duck- 
town to Winona, has been destroyed by Unionists 
from Corinth. Great excitement is caused by 
the raid of the Unionists. 
A detachment of Gen. Gordon Granger's cav¬ 
alry, under CoL Campbell, of the 2d Michigan, 
dashed among Gen. Van Dorn's rebel pickets, 
near Thompson’s Station, on the 1st inst. The 
enemy were vigilant, owing to the late surprise, 
and tvere prepared to run. Fourteen rebels 
were killed, thirty wounded, and eleven prison¬ 
ers taken, including one officer, all of the 4th 
Mississippi. No Federals hurL 
The following order is important to ladies pro¬ 
posing to A'isit this Department, and Gen. Rose- 
crans desires it thoroughly ventilated in the 
Northern papers: 
HBxmjVAUTKiis Cvwubklakd, Office Provost) 
Marshal, Murfreesboro, May 1, 1S63. ) 
This being the season for active military ope¬ 
rations, the presence of ladies. hoAvever desira¬ 
ble under certain circumstances, is not so noiv. 
The General commanding directs that no passes 
be granted to ladies to pass from Louisville to 
Nashville. Murfreesboro, or AVfthin the lines of 
this Department, until further orders. Those 
residing in the North are warned to avoid the 
trouble and expense of traveling to Louisville, 
as they will not be admitted within the lines of 
this Department except in the most urgent cases, 
and then under passes issued from the Depart¬ 
ment at lleadquarleis. M. Wilkes, 
Mayor and Provost Marshal. 
The following has been received ut the head¬ 
quarters of the army: 
Grand Gclf, May 3, via Memphis, May 7, 3SiS3. 
To Major-General _ llalleck: — We landed at 
Boulingsburg on April 30th, moved immediately 
on Port Gibson, met the enemy 11,000 strong 
four miles south of Port Gibson at 2 A. M. on 
the 1st inst,, and en 
AFFAIRS IN WASHINGTON. 
The President has issued the following Proc¬ 
lamation : 
Washington, Mav 8, 1863. 
Whereas, The Congress of the United States, 
at its last session, enacted a law entitled an act 
for enrolling and calling out the National forces, 
and tor other purposes, Avhich was approved on 
the 3d day of March last; and, 
TP7ter«os, Itis recited in the same act, that there 
now exists in tin- United States an insurrection 
and rebellion against the authority thereof, and 
it is. under the Constitution of the United States, 
the duty of the Government to suppress insur¬ 
rection and rebellion, to guarantee to each State 
a republican form or Government and to pre¬ 
serve the public tranquillity; and, 
Whereas, For these purposes the military force 
is indispensable, and to raise aad support’which 
all persons ought, willingly to contribute; and, 
Whereas, No service can he more praisewor¬ 
thy and honorable than that which is rendered 
for the inaintainanee of the Constitution and the 
Union, and the consequent preservation of free 
government: and, 
Whereas, For the reasons thus recited it was 
enacted by the said statute that all able bodied 
male citizens of the United States and persons of 
foreign birth \\ r ho shall have declared upon oath 
their intention to become citizens tinder and in 
pursuance of the laAvs thereof, between the ages 
of 20 and 45 years, with certain exceptions not 
necessary to be herein mentioned, and declared 
to constitute the national forces and shall be 
liable to perform military duty in the service 
igaged him all day. entirely 
the loss of many Killed and 
routing him, with the loss of many killed and 
about 500 prisoners, besides the wounded. Our 
loss is about 100 killed and 500 wounded. The 
enemy retreated toward Vicksburg, destroying 
the bridges over the two forks of the Bayou 
Pierre. These were rebuilt, and the pursuit has 
continued until the present time. Besides the 
heavy artillery at this place, four field pieces 
were’ captured and some stores, and the enemy 
were driven to destroy many more. The conn- 
