necessarily dangerous. That vh the only casualty, to any I
of our party.
As soon as it was possible to land three ebmpanies of the '
Mth Massachusetts (colored) Iisghnent, on board tha ;
Mapls Lmf. got ashore and started through the town on j
the double-quick. A company of the 1st Mass. Cavalry, i
also landed from the Tappahannack, saddled at once and
started in pursuit of the Rebel cavalry. They captured i
five ; also seven men at the Confederate signal station, !
aome four miles out of Jacksonville. They returned with j
the prisoners, the same evening.
la consequence of seven! of the tsansports getting
a-^ronnd in the St John's, (with artillery and cavalry troops
Aboard.) Qui. Sryaioub did not advance from Jacksonville
until the afternoon of the 7th. At4 o'clock P. M., the army.,
started?th< caralry, CoL'Hfsmr, taking the advance ; oneM
column of infantry, with two batteries under Col. Bartox, *
took ths North road; another similar force under Col.
Havut, followed up the rail-road. jThis road is the Atlantic
and Gulf Rait-Road, running directly across the
State to Tallahaste. The forces advanced oautiously, as ws
knew that a camp of fonr ?r Jive hundred Rebels wcrs
stationed at Camp Finrgan, 3 miles from Jacksonville. At
*'Uuw'mfe creek," alfewKjle&slamlry pickets were discovered,
but they tlcedaddled. We pushed on and at 9 o'clock,
reached Camp Fin'gan, but too lata to find the
ssnemy; they had sB lsft?Irtving largo quantities of stores,
two ft-pound Iron-guns, a flag, and numerous cattle, pigs,
mules, wagons, kc.
When two miles from Fiaegan's camp, we saw a large
Jlre on Cedar Creek, which on inquiry we found to bo the
-Confederate steamer St. Mary'*, and which was loaded with
M50 bales of cotton owned by various planters of Duval
County. The cotton was burnt, and the Steamer sunk by
the Confederate, fearing thai wo would capture it.
Gmr. S?Y*otm and Staff, stopped over night at a Mr.
Price's plantation (near Camp Flnegan) a miserable Bhanty,
but owned by a wealthy planter, who ran off the day previous
rfth all his slaves; leaving his family unprotested.
The cavalry, some 900, advanced immediately after the
capture of Camp Finegan to this place, and whon at " Ten
Mile Depot," came across a Rebel camp, surprising the
pickets and capturing all hand* with all their stores, two
batteries of G-pound guns?two brass and two iron pieces.
Only one Reb. tkmeed any fight, and he was cut down by one
of our cavalrymen. CoL Hexry, then pashed off to this
place, arriving just at daylight?charging most gallantly in
fours ; but alas! there was no foe to respond to the charge;
but the poor, miserable inhabitants were horribly frightened.
Here the cavalry remained until the infantry
column came up this afternoon. We captured 93 bales of
cotton at the Depot here, also a large stock of corn, and
various descriptions of goods, Ac.
Gen. SEYiroi'B and Staff " put up " at the Ciiy Hotel, kept
by a Mr. Askew, who with the inhabitants generally are all
atkew or askance, just-now. This " city " enumerates about
ten or twelve miserable log-ehantics, but no school bouse
or church, or the school-master has never visited here, and
the Gospel was never heard cf in this benighted portion of
Florida. The country hereabout is a poor, sandy, section ;
/ of no value for agriculture, but sacred to snakes, fleas and
* buzzards. In fact, the whole country between hero and ^
Jacksonville, is not worth one penny in Confederate funds.
It would do for a grave-yard, if it waa not so damp and
unhealthy. It is midnight now, so I eay good byo. as to
'? .imo/.A tA SinifNiivi tn Tfarh<.r
morrow ?i uajuKiii, ^ ?? ?.
County.
TUBAL-OAIX.
We have been unfortunate in being obliged
to suspend the issue of our paper for the two weeks
past, owing to the delay occasioned by the non- 1
receipt of material. It has at length arrived, and '
we shall not be caught in the same trap again.
The IJeruld of the 9th says the rurgor about the
capture of Mobile is false. The order issued over datura!
Basics signature is spurious. The General offered a large
sum for the man that issued the order.
We are requested by the Tax Commissioners
to itite that the Instructions of Dee. 31st,
1863, are suspended, and in the meantime the
' Sales of Lands are to proceed according to the
. act of Congress. Pass. 8 can be obtained for those
wishing to attend the sale.
Njcwton, Jan. 2uth, 1864.
lfr. Joseph II. Sears,
Sib :?Having read in The Xeu: South, < f J?a. j
9th, an article desiring religious reading for the I
,76th Penn. Vols.; I have addressed seTeral pamphlets
to you, intended for the 7Cth, which if you j
.will forward, you will receive the thanks of a poor :
. but loyal heai t.
4 P a Tmr-rrTT rv (i
O U9A2^ A? Ai Iauu/|
Newton, Fairfield Cj. Conn.j
The booi? were received and lent as requested j
. br the dot ?r.?H?.
v ..
The correspondent, who signs hinuclf " Ak Old
Soldub" is informed that we have consulted several
Paymasters in relation to his grievances, and
their opinions are so conflicting, that we cannot
give a satisfactory answer. We are of the belief,
however, that the Government is in duty.bound,
to bear all traveling expenses to the place of his
" *1 t? ? a .a. il. a /\/ via in mus a/ sovl '
e J J u Built; lit, cuter tue ciyuauvu ui xum miu w wv*vice.
In this case, we presume it is the business
of the quartermaster, to furnish such transportation,
and not for the Paymasters to pay the same
in money.
k :
J Collision.?The Bark Lincoln Webb, vu run into by the
transport Fulton, off Cape Romaine, on ber last trip north.
The collision occurred about 8 p.m. Her bowsprit was entirely
carried away, and otherwise injured to that extent
that it will be difficult to repair her here.
Promotions in 3p R, L Art.?3d Lieut, P. A. Wilcoxxox
Post Quartermaster at Fort Pulaski, to be 1st Lieut; A. A.
Babcock, Q. U. Sergeant to be 2d Lieut, and assigned to
Battery C. ,
7f3F- The following article was found in a Commissary
building, at Baldwin, Fla., by a correspondent,
who went with the expedition, and forwarded
to us. Although it was published in November,
it as equally applicable to the present time,
and verifies in strong terms the previous statements
in relation to a depleted commissary.
OFFICE OF CHIEF COMMISSABY,
Quincy, Florida, Nov. 2d, 1863.
It has been a subject of anxious consideration
how I could, without injury to our cause, expose
*1? -uLnrila iiimnnhnilt. tVlP Sbvfcp. thp TYTfiSfint
IU bUU |/CV|/4V VUIVU^UVU* Maw |
perilous condition of oar army. To ao this
through the public press, would point out our
source of danger to our enemies. To see each
one in person, or even a sufficient number to
effect the object contemplated, is impossible ; yet
the necessity of general and immediate action is
imperitive to save our army, and with it our
cause from disaster. The issues of this contesf
are now transferred to the people at borne. If
they fail to do their duty, and sustain the army in
its present position, it must fall back. If the
enemy break through our present line, the wave
of desolation may roll even to the shores of the
Gulf and Atlantic. In discipline, valor, and the
skill of its leaders, our army has proven more
than a m#tch for the enemy. But the best appointed
army cannot maintain its position without
support at home. {The people should never
suffer it to be said that they valued their cattle
and hogs, their corn and money, more than their
liberties and honor, and that they had to bs compelltd
to support an army they had sent to battle
" - w. 1 M _i!1 _ .1
in their aeiencc. vro nope u wm uu^
necessary to resort to impressments among a
people fighting for their existence, and in defence
of tbeir homes and country and institutions. We
prefer rather to appeal to them by every motive
of duty and honor?by the love* they bear their
wires and daughters?by the memory of the
heroic dead, and the future glory and independence
of their country, to come to its rescue in
this darkest hour of its peril.
The following extracts, from official letters in my
possession, do but partially represent the present
condition of the armies of Generals Bragg and
Beauregard, and their gloomy prospect for future
surmlies :
Maj. J. F. Ccmmixg, who supplies Gen. Bragg's
army, write*; 4 It is absolutely and virtually important
that all the cattle that can possibly be
brought here shall be brought as promptly as
possible and again, on the oth of October, he
says: "I cannot too strongly urge upon you the
necessity, yss, the urgent necessity, of sending
forward cattle promptly. It appears that all other
resources are exhausted, and that we are now
dependent upon your State for Beef for the very '
large army of General Bragg. I know yon will
leave no stone unturned, and I must say all is
now dependent on your exertions, so far as Beef
is eoncerned. In regard to Bacon, the stock is
about exhausted?hence Beef is our only hope.
I know the prospect is very discouraging, and it
only remains with tho3c of us having sharge of
this most important work to do all we can to exhaust
our resources; and when we have done
this, onr country cannot complain of cs. If we
fail to Jo all that can be dona, and oar cause shall
fail, upon us shall rest the responsibility; therefore
let us employ every means at our command."
Maj. JjOckk, Chief Commissary of Georgia,
wrote : 441 pray you, Major, to put every agency
in motion that you can to send cattle without a
moment's delay towards the Georgia borders.
The troops in Charleston are in great extremity.
We look alone to you for cattle : those in Georgia
are exhausted."
Major Gcutix, Chief Commissary of South
Carolina, wrote ; " \V> are almost entirely dupen
#4
dent en Florida, and it is of the last importance
at this time that the troops here should be subsisted."
Again he says : M As it is, our situation
is lull of danger, Irom want of meat, and extraordinary
efforts are required to prevent disaster."
And on the 9th October he says: We have now
40,060 troops and laborers to subsist The supply
of bacon on hand in the city is 20,000 pounds,
arul Jko mSIa fni-nioliArl K? this flfftfa IS Tlftt nnm
tenth of what ii required. My anxieties and apprehensions,
as you may suppose, are greatly
excited."
Major Mtt.t kn, of Savannah, on the 19th October,
says: " I assure you, Major, that the stock of
Bacon and Beef for the armies of the Confederate
States is now exhausted, and we must depend em
tirely upon what we may gather weekly. Starvation
stares the army in the free?the hand-writing
is en the wall*" On the 26th October he saya:
" From the best information I have, the resources
of food, (meat.) of both the Tennessee and Virginia
armies, are exhausted. This remark now
applies with equal force to South Carolina and
Georgia, and the army most henceforth depend
upon the energy of the purchasing Commissaries,
I through their daily or weekly collections. I hare
exhausted the beer cattle, and am now obliged to
kill stock cattle."
From these yon perceive that there is too much
cause for the deep solicitude manifested by the
writers. They should sxcite the fears and apprehensions
of every lover of his country. Truly the
responsibility upon ns is great, when we are expected
to feed these vast armies, whether the producers
will sell to us or not The slightest reflection
would teach any one that it is impossible to
S>vide for such armies by impressments alone.
e people must cheerfully yield their supplies,
or make up their minds to surrender their cause.
It is their cause. It is not the canse of the Government
The Government is theirs. The army,
the Government, you and I, and every one, and
everything we have, are staked upon this contest
To fail, is total and irretrievable ruin, universal
confiscation of everything, and abject and igno
minious submission and slavery to the most despicable
and infamous race on earth. Whoever
has any other thought but to fight on, at any cost
of life and property, until we achieve our independence,
or all perish in the struggle, deserves to be
the slave of such an enemy. But, under the guidance
of Providence, our cause is safe in the hands
of our army, provided wo do eur duty at home.
But Providence will not help a people who will
; not help themselves. Our enemies have no hope
of conquering us by arms. Their only hope is,
that we will be untrue to ourselves, and in the
blind pursuit of gain, lose sight of our country,
and thus suffer our army, and with it our cause,
to perish. How stands the case ? You know the
resources of Tennessee are lost to us ; the hog
cholera and other causes have cut short the prospect
in Georgia and other States. It is ascertained
that the last year's crop of Bacon is about exhausted,
and it is certain that the crop of this will
be much shorter than that of last year. Now two
large armies look almost solely te Florida to sup
pij one enure arucie 01 suosisieuce. mo onu>
surplus of this year's crop of Bacon throughout
the Confederacy, even when husbanded with the
utmost economy, will be inadequate to the demands
of the Government This makes it the duty
of every man to economise as much as possible?
to sell not a pound to any one else whilst there is
any danger of our army suffering, and to pledge
at schedule rates his entire surplus?Bacon, Beef,
Sugar and Syrup?to the Government I solemnly
believe our cause is hopeless, unless our people
can bs brought to this point
I have thought it my duty to address this confidential
Circular to the principal men in various
ni/i an/1
9CUUU9 KJ1 IUC outic, ouu iuvuac ?uvu um auu woperation
with the purchasing Commissaries and
Government agents in their distnets in inaugurating
and putting into operation some system by
which our armies can be more promptly supplied,
and all of our resources, which are necessary, secured
to the Government The appeals tome are
more and more urgent every day; the pressure upon
ofl^State is very great Should she now respond
to the caII made upon her resources as she
has upon the bloodiest battle-fields of the war, the
measure of her glory will be full. Hat if we withhold
our supplies, we cripple our army, and render
it impossible for them to advance after achieving
the most Rignal victories. The people at home
must put themselves upon a war footing. This
they have never yet done. flhey must sow and
plant and gather for the Government. Then, and
not till then, will the bright rays of peace break
through the clouds of war which overhang ns.
P. W. WHITE,
ilajj. and Ci'f Cottony.
1\ S. ? You are specially requested not to allonc this
Circular to go out of your possession, b>d to read it to
such persons as y>ru know to he true and prudent. and
to begin the work eonktnf>V<*7 rnrdisrttiy.