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0 \ VOL. L ' THE FREE SOUTH. REATTFOltT. S. C.. SEPT. 20. 1863. EF~ wanted in the different Itefimtnts of this Department, for the Free SorTH. * ? l TO OTJR SOLDIER FRIEND3. An execllen: plan to sec ore a copy of the Free South every week is to mbxeribe for THREE MONTHS FOR 50 CENTS, Your paper will then be sent by mail and will follow jour regiment wherever it may move. Soldiers should send the Free South to their friends at home. It would be almost as good as a WEEKLY LETTER, * and win contain all the news of the department, and 1 full lists of the killed and wounded and deaths in hospital. bent by mail at $2.u0 per year iu advance or 50 CENTS FOR THREE MONTHS. Oar Foreign Relations. The Hon. Charles Sumner, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, delivered in New York, on the "*Cixl. AlnK/\mifa anoArtfi nn " tlif* j ^ Il'liil 1U5U) an ciaiA/idvc fj^wwu w perils of our country from Foreign Nat'ons." He reviewed the attitude of Great Britain and France towards the United States since the breaking out of the rebellion, showing it to be one of hostility and ill-will. The granting of belligerent rights ; the protests against the suspension of the habeas corpus; the howl over our stone blockade, and the offers of mediation, are shown to be the offsprings of a sympathy with slave-mong?rs disgraceful to civilized nations, and inconsistent with the previous history of both England and France. Mr. Sumner shows that if the confederacy should succeed iu the war now waging, the great powers of Europe could not recognize the new nation, without being false to themselves. England, the declared protectress of the African race, and France the declared champion of "ideas," must break away from the irresistible logic of their history, and turn their backs upoa the past, before acknowledging eveu a successful slateholding State. Mr. Sumner argues that a new nation should not only be independent J- u ^ c<V?rvnl/l Kn fn hP ill (if J(('-"((/j UUt luau in oiivuiu w aav w w dependent The question would not be whether relations should be maintained with an old nation that permitted the existence of slavery, but whether relations should be begun with a new nation, which not merely permits slavery, but builds its , whole intolerable pretension upon that barbarism. The course of England in giving material aid in ships and munitions to the south is commented on with just severity. The absurdity and wrong of conceding Ocean Bclliycrccncy to a pretended power, m which is without a prize court, is set forth with great force, proving them to be in reality British ^'-atc vessels, manned by British pirate sea. .en. This speech coming from such a source, coupled with r ..nors of a protest against the sailing of tL^ English-built rebel ironclads, and a threat that such sailing will be regarded as an act of war by our government, encourages the impression that we are on the eve of a serious foreign complication. The navy department is hurrying forward a new and- pow erful nt mrknitni-u ami irnn-nlfld frigates. 11CV* Vi v - , , which are to be eomplcted by Christmas ; the defences of oar seaboard cities are being placed on a war-footing; the public mind is now being accustomed, through such speeches as Mr. Sumner's a nd through the press, to the idea of a war with England or France or possibly with both. The news from New Orleans, in another column, is still more significant of trouble. Jfc^Gen. Giilmore, in view of his eminent services in the operations against Charleston, has been promoted from a Captain to a Major of the regular Engineer Corps and also to be a Major-General of Volunteers. TEE FREE SOUTH, SATURD Sanitary CoiumisKion. j The following General order, No. 73. dated Morris Island, Sept. 0, 1833, relai tivo to the Sanitary Commission, has* reI ' eently l**en read to every regiment in the I d-partment: Drcr. or tut Sorni, If kaikjc vetess rs tiik Field.) MonulsuNis S. i\. Sept. '.Uh, IStJn. j General Orders. No. 73.?The Brigadier General Commanding desires to make this public acknowledgement of the benefits for which his command has "been indebted to the U. S. Sanitary Commission, an 1 to express his thanks to the gentlemen, whose humane efforts in procuring and distributing in itch needed articles of comfort, have so materially alleviated the sufferings of the soldiers. lvs|*ecial gratitude is due to Mr. M. M. Marsh, Xf I- 1 T.? A4* *1*A pAmmiooiAn I .UniiUtl llOjCt'lUI KJ1 Uiv; VW.UiUiJWivu, kiitvu^u whose efficiency, energy, and zeal, the wants of the troops have been promptly ascertained, an 1 the resources of the Commission made available for every j>ortion of the army. Bv order of Brig. Gen. Q. A. GILLMORE. Ed. W. Smith, Asst. Adj;. General. The representatives of the sanitary commission have deservedly won this marked approbation of the General commanding, I by their earnest solicitude for the welfare i of the troops, and by the timely and abundant application of the material in their hands to the alleviation of the wants arising from an active campaign on an uninhabited an .i dreary island. And yet how few in the army were really aware that they had received any benefit from the sanitary commission, until this graceful order of the general commanding acknowledging it was issued, ' They had received the benefits of this organization but knew not whence they came, so quickly and unosteutatiously are ' its duties performed. Its approach was , not heralded, nor its strength expended in loud preparations, but its work was ! vigorously performed, its sole object be- ! ing the welfare of the troops. When the army first went to Morris Is land, Dr. Marsh the officer of the commission in this department observing from uumistakeable signs the necessity of I an improved form of diet, applied to the I Xt-w York office of the commission for an abundant supply of vegetables, which was immediately forwarded to him, and a continued supply has been sent by each i succeeding steamer. The private who, as a matter of course, supposes that every article of food issued to him comes from the government, little 'thinks that the onions, potatoes and curried cabbage which interrupts the dull nature of his ordinary ration has been the gift of the commission. Hundreds of barrels of these vegitables have been issued by the commission since the occupation of Moms Island, and the result has been a marked decrease in the ratio of the sick to the whole force. Through the kind and watchful care of the commission the cool streams of New | En^md have been turned into the 1 trenches before Wagner. The thirsty soldier sweltering in the hot sun can as sage his thirst in pure water brought form the north, and at a temperature which reminds him of the comforts of home. Water is found anywhere on the island upon digging a few feet, and is cloudy, brackish, unpaleatable, of the temperature of the hot soil from which it comes. Ice could be found in the hospitals, or could be procured by officers from sutlers at an exorbitant price. The teachings through the sand was the only drink for the soldier. The commission immediately on becoming informed of this dispatchfmm tlifi north, and for some time past a daih Leslie of pure New England ice has been made to every regiment The only ice issued to regiments has been made by the sanitary commission, govern- ' I meat fnruLJnng it to gencnil hospitals only. > We have given but these few instances of tjie working of tho sanitary commission. We could multiply them. In supplying an improved diet, in affording the luxury of ice it ^as not because these articles are comfcrts or luxuries solely, but because they prevent sic kness, sustain our soldiers in tho neld in the midst of their AY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1863._ ! arduous labors, and render them more capable to withstand the effects of the cliruate. : The health of an army is its strength. Whatever tends to sustain the one, sus1 tains the other. Humanity and patriotism then unite in the efforts which the sanitary commission have made and are making for the benefit of the army, for : in watcning the causes which impair the I health of soldiers, and quickly applying the remedy, it is laboring effectively in increasing the power of our arms. In . this labor they should be encouraged by all who cau lend them their support. JSy^The Memphis-Grenada-Chattanooga Atlanta-J4/>/>eo/, gives a heart-rending account of the ingratitude of the blacis slaves of the southern chivalry. A correspondent from Jackson writes : 44 A great mauy negroes, who had been regarded by their owners as faithful and reliable, left with the Yankees, with our fine horses, carriages raid other comfortable modes of conveyance. One?Aaron Lemly?has recently sent word to his master that ho is now a duly qualified citizen of Vicksburg." It is painful, says the Post, to any constitutional and conservative mind to think of the perfidy and unfaithfulness of these negroes. Surely such conduct proves them to be of a different race from the proslavery politicians of the North. These white slaves have never swerved in their devotion to the interests of their rebel masters and owners. A writer in Dehors Review contends that black men do not make the best slaves?that white men with proper training are preferrable.? What a compliment may be found lurking in this statement t:> the Vallandighams, Woods, Seymours of our northern doughface, miscalled democratic, party. How unswerving is their fidelity to their cnvifhorn mfifitprs. "Greek fire" seems to have been as greatly dreaded by tbe old French knights as by the braggart Beauregard. Speaking of its use at the seige of Acre, in the year 1192, an old historian calls it j a " diabolical species of flame, which burns the fiercer for the application of water." " Each man," said Gauthier de Cariel, an old and experienced warior, " should throw himself on his elbows and knees when the Are is thrown, and beseech the Lord, who alone can help him, to avert the dreadful danger." This counsel was followed, and Phillip himself, as often as he heard the Greek fire discharged in tbe night, raised his body from his bed, and with uplifted hands prayed, " Lord, preserve my people !" Joinville, a gallant officer who was present at the seine, thus describes the Greek fire : "It was as large as a barrel of verjuice, bad a flaming tail like a broad-sword, and made, a report like thunder, and appeared like a dragon flying through the air, giving such a light that in the camp at midnight one might see as well as at noonday." fls^The President's proclamation which we publish nips in the bud a scheme of the copperheads by which the draft was to be embarrassed by pettifogging litigation. Every coward and traitor drafted was to be the subject of a habeas corpus and it was deemed certain that amid a multitude of cases some collision would take place between the government and state authorities. Men were enlisted, paid the bounty, and then discharged before some disloyal petty judge ; a regular business was made by parents allowing their sons to enlist, receive the money, and then procuring their discharge as minors. The President's coup elvt squelches these sharps. Of course the "epps" howl over the tyranny of the despot 44 old Abe.'* but loyal men rejoice. Par"The Richmond Enquirer suggests that Lee canvass Pennsylvania with his army for the Democratic Ticket in the approac!iin.g October election. It is plain that the Enquirer knows who are its friends, N 0. S8. f Bettor Wail FncilStiON wanted. There is certainly some fault in the mail arrangements of this department and we have endeavored to find out upon whom the responsibility rests. The duties of a post-master seem to be pretty generally misunderstood by the military authorities of the department, and therefore all the blame is cast on the post-masr ter. It appears that a mail can legally be sent only to a regularly established office, and as their are but four such in the de l 1 TTilfrvn TTr>ad "Rcanfort. pUXUIieUb, . nv umuu ? , . St. Augustine and Fernandina, all othera are sent upon the personal responsibility of the post-master himself. Following the strict letter of the law he would bo justified in refusing to send any mail to Moms or Folly Island. He could demand that each regiment should send for its mail t> Hilton Head. Of course an office in a military department is obliged to conform to circumstances in the management of its affairs and a certain latitude is allowed on that account. But it must be evident that the army ought to reciprocate by extending every facility to the post-office in the exercise of its functions. It should therefore be made the duty of the quartermasters in the department to notify the post-master of the departure of vessels iu time for him to make up hia mail. Within a short period two steamera have left Port Royal for Florida without carrying a mail, and last week a steamer sailed for New York leaving the bags upon the wharf. In each instance we believe the quartermasters failed to notify Mr. "Lee in time to erei them aboard. In re gard to Morris and Folly Islands, we would suggest that the general commanding appoints an officer, say of the rank of captain, whose business it shall bo to attend the proper distribution of the mails. He could keep the run of the positions of regiments and receiving all the mail at one place, despatch it to the proper destination. If then there were delays or irregularities the department or persons in fault could be pointed out and the abuse rectified. As it is, the post-masters have no certified lists of regiments or general officers and staffs ; they are not informed where a brigade or regiment is transferred and are kept very much in the dark as to the sailing of transports. In the name of our brave soldiers who are exiled from all the comforts of home, and to whom a letter is like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, we call for a more systematic distribution of themails. BeS*Judge A D. Smith, of the United SUfltefl Tax Commission, arrived in the Arago. His health is much improved by his journey north, though it has been by no means a pleasure excursion. In connection with Secretary Chase and Judge Lewis, Commissioner of Internal Revenue, hejhas perfeeted a plan for thodisposal of the lands bid in at the tax salolast spring by the United States.. An abstract of the instructions of the Commissioners will be found in another column* JWe would call attention to the advertisement of Mr.. C. G. Bobbins iu another column. Our citizens and soldiers should consult their interests bycalling and examing his stock before purchasing elsewhere. Mr. Bobbins has earned a reptztatiou for enterprise and fa "r dealing which makes his store tho resori for all who want good and cheap articles. Recollect Ids store, opposite the Stevens House. Captain Dunbar ordnance officer on Gin. Haxton's Staff, returned in the j Arago. pming his visit north he recaivi ed his additional grade, upon 'which we | congratulate him. i is only necessary to mention f" e ' name of Lloyd to feel cool. Whore he pnts his immense stock of ice is a mys, tery, and the cry is, "still it comes.sw m m There's no use in your ever taking ft lazy man to task. He won't perform it il 1 you do,