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. THE NEW SOUTH]
J. H. SEARS, Editor and Proprietor.
PORT ROYAL, SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 1864.
The New Mouth can be had of
the following Agents :
j. C. Alexajtdeb, P. M., Beaufort
J. W. ALLEJf, P. M., . St Augustine.
W. S. Mobxxll, P. M., - - Fernandina.
J. D. Kayaxagh, Sutler, - . Morris Island.
J as. Carholl, .... Fort Pulaski.
Wx. Masoh, 53d Pa. Vols., - - Morris Island.
C. K. Osgood, ... Jacksonville, Fla.
W. H. Gavit, Hall Agent - - Morris Island.
AFFAIRS IN FLORIDA.
Lw of Another Steamer bj Torpedoes ?Evaroatioa
of PQatka?Beeoaaoixanee by Oor far U
TV. " In... ..Ill l_ A..
Froat?Jatksoarllle to ke HeM, etc.
Correspondence of The New Socth :
Jacksonville, Florida. )
April 20th, 1864. J
The misfortunes of the Federal transports
have culminated in the loss of the
fine steamer General llunter, which was
blown up by a rebel torpedo on the night
of the 15th. The Hunier was loaded with
Commissary and Quartermaster's stores,
and was going up the St. John's from
Jacksonville to Piccoleti, some thirty-five
miles above here, where we had a brigade
of contraband troops.
It is somewhat singular that the General
Hunier was blown up in the same
locality where the Maple Leaf was destroyed.
three weeks since. The wrecks
o# both steamer* are nearly abreast of
each other, and they will answer for the
beginning of a grave yard for Federal
steamers on the St John's. The Hunter
was so well known in this Department
that a description of her is almost superperfluous.
She was constructed expressly
for Major-General Hunter, was of elegant
proportions, very fast, and was of
four hundred tons burthen. She was
owned by the Government and was valued
at about $60,000.
There is little prooaouity 01 eitner the
Hunter or the Maple Leaf ever being
nosed. There would be no difficulty in
getting them up, but there being no dry.
dock to repair them, in this Department,
they will be left, very probably, as monuments
to the diabolical instincts of the
Rebellion. The loss of life on the Hunter
was small, only one person being lost
Both these transports were exceedingly
valuable in this District, and will be
greatly missed on the St John's.
Our out-post at Pilatka was abandoned
last week. This was rendered
absolutely necessary on account of the
transfer of troops elsewhere. Tie evacuation
was very creditably performed ;
all the guns in the redoubts were brought
off; the abtatis thoroughly destroyed,the
fcok-out pulled down, and everything of
military value secured and transferred to
this post The policy or wisdom of temporarily
occupying small out-posts like
Pilatka, is questionable. It was of no
military importance, and its occupation
held out hopes to the citizens there, and
its vicinity," which will be destroyed by
the withdrawal of our forces.
On the day that Barton's troops left
Pilatka, a reconnoisance was made by
Major Stephens First Massachusetts
i
? * v ?
J
Battalion, accompanied by a portion ol
j the Third New Hampshire Mounted In;
fantry, and a Battery. This command
went as far as "Eight Mile Hummock;"
discovered a camp of Bebel cavalry which
they shelled, also drove in his vedette,
and then retired to Pilatka, without the
loss of a uian. No Confederate Infantry
were discovered in this reconnoisance ;
and it is questionable if any Rebel force,
other than cavalry, have been near Pilatka
since its occupation by Federal
troops.
In our front, here, the Confederate
army continues in force, and is probably
not far from fifteen thousand men. The
main body still remains at Baldwin, with
Cavalry camps at McGirt's Creek, ancfat
Camp Finnegan. Itjwas rumored, a fort
night since, that a portion of the Rebs
had been withdrawn and sent back to
Savannah and Charleston. Information
from confidential sources, however, do
not confirm that report, but tend to
strengthen the belief that Anderson u in
our front with his entire army.
a ?i iv.i t i :n. !
numors are anoi t uiut ouuisouvuie
will be abandoned before long. Stick is
not the intention of the Commander of the
District of Florida, nor of the military
head of this Department. We have expended
much in fortifying the town, in
improving its appearance, and also its
sanitary condition ; and I see no reason
to abandon a*place so easily held, of so
healthy a locality, aild one which we are
bound in all honor to maintain and defend.
Wo have occupied and abandon
ed the town ticice previously, and to per
petrate so grave an error, a third time,
would condemn the Federal Government,
and moke its promises of protection a
by-word and a mockery. Not that th&
?"?-ji ? .?
unuvo jc luuuiBijp <uc ou
but a faithful promise from the Government,
through its military commander,
should be inviolate and sacred, and nothing
short of military necessity should
destroy it
Tubal-Caly.
Post Qcabtkbmasteb.? Lt Coltok,
bas been relieved from duty as Post
Quartermaster and returned to his regi|
ment He has discharged the duties ol
j his office to the satisfaction of all?and
| regret that the Post should lose so clli-!
| cient au officer. We wish him success
| wherever his duties may call him.
* 9 *
A Fbsak of Peisoxebs.?One night
| last week, thirteen prisoners confined in
; the Provost Guard House, took the op;
portunity during the change of Provost
' Marshals, to vacate their cells and promi
enade about the Head. In about twenty i
four hours time the entire party excepting
one, reported at the guard -house
The reason they gave for slipping the
guard was that they wnuted to see what
i was going on, but they had no intention
1 of deserting.
I
Lt.-CoL. Halpine, Assistant Adjutant
General to Major Gen. Hunteb has resigned
on account of ill health. *
At the Sanitary Fair now being held
in New York, a one dollar Treasury Note
was purchased for one thousand dollars.
The bill was was found in the pocket ol
a Union soldier who was shot It was
pierced with rebel bullets. The bill
came into the possession of the mother,
and by her donated to the Fair as her
contribution.
A
EXECUTION OF TWO DESERTERS, j
A Solemn Spectacle.
FULL PARTICULARS' OF THE RAD SCENE.
On Sunday the 17th inst., at 3 P. M.,
Henry Shumacher of Co. C, and Henry
Cfa^ir nf f!.-? E hnth of the Cth Conn. ,
tJiOlA V* W.
regiment, were publicly shot for deser- i
tion on grounds outside of the intrench" i
ments at Hilton Head.
The victims were substitutes, and join-!
ed the regiment some months ago. When ;
the regiment was on duty at Morris Is-:
land, the two men, in company with a!
comrade named Hoofan, deserted and attempted
to reach the enemy's lines on i
John's Island, but they were overtaken
"and brought back to camp. Since the
regiment has been at Hilton Head, the
same parties escaped from the guardhouse
at the Provost Marshal's headquarters
where they were confined, seized
a boat at the Ordnance Yard, and by
its means endeavored to reach the enemy's
lines. But they were again foiled
in their design. A gunboat on duty off
Ossibaw Sound, hailed them in the boat
and returned them to Hilton Head The I <
men were again taken to the guard-house !
and had heavy balls and chains attach-;
ed to their legs, but by some means they i
became possessed of a file, with which j 1
they formed the back of a common case
knife into a saw, and thus had on instrument
which they put into service one <
dark night, by severing the fetters. They i
then with the same instrument sawed a <
square hole in the floor of their cell,
which enabled them to pass through and
creep along under the buildings until
they reached the beat ground of the sen- 1
Jxj. They then watched their opportu-(
nity, and when the sentry had reached i
a point of the beat the most remote from
4he place where they were concealed,
they crept beyond the confines of the
guard-house and made for the Engineer
Depot, where they secured a boat and
again endeavored to desert. Capt. Peck
the Provost Marshal, upon being inform
ed early tne next morning, 01 me escape
of the prisoners, immediately telegraphed
to all points in the Department for officers
and others to be on the alert. The
afternoon of that same day again saw
the prisoners back to their old cell in the
guard-honse. They were seen by the
mounted pickets rowing toward the beach
near Braddock's Point Having touch
ed the shore they instantly sprang from i
the boat and ran precipitately for the
woods. They were pursued and captured,
and, as before mentioned, returned
for the third time to the guard-house, i
Balls and chains were again attached to
their legs, and instructions given to the I
sentinels to be doubly vigilant in the
performance of their duty. Strange to i
relate, however, Stark and Shumacher, i
with a colored prisoner for a guide, for
the fourth time made their escape. On i
this last trial they abandoned the boat
and took for the country, hoping to reach
the rebel lines in that way. Mounted
patrols were sent cut to scour the country,
and within twenty-four hour's time j
all three of the prisoners were lodged i
safe in the guard-house. Thus it will be i
seen that Stark and Shumacher endeavored
to desert to the enemy's lines on :
four different occasions. Hoofan. for the :
same reason refused to go with the oth- i
ers. The written indictment embracing '
the orders for the execution included the i
names of Stark, Shum icher and Hoofau, <
. !
but the name of the last mentioned party
was mis-spelled Hoofmnn, which simple
mistake served to save him from sharing
the fate of the others. m
The ground selected for the exeeution
TT onmo e% o o f tinAti
Y% U? ULOJL1J vuv OUUiV UiUV Uj-'VA* nuivu
Lunt was shot, some two years ago. It
was at a short distance from outside the
intrenchmenta, and a little to the left of
the road leading to Seabrook. The
ground is quite level and is bordered on
the west and southwest by a deep marsh
and a tangled thicket.
At 2 P. AL, the solemn cortege emerged
from the guard-house gate and proceeded
slowly toward the place fixed for
the execution. The procession was preceeded
by three mounted guards with
drawn sabres, whose special office was to
see that no obstacles were in the line of
march. At the head of the procession
walked Capt Babcock, Provost Marshal,
and Capt King, Assistant Provoet Marshal
Thpv xcprc. foil owed bv a d?tA/>h.
ment of the 6th Conn. regiment. Then
came the prisoners, seated on their coffins
in an army supply wagon drawn by
four horses. On either side ot the wagon
was a guard of four men. Next in order
came an ambulance containing Father
Hasson, the officiating Priest, Chaplain
Woodruff of the 6th Conn., and one or
two others. A detachment of troops fol.
lowed and brought up the rear of the
procession. A large number of soldiers
and civilians, although not properly at
tached to the procession, still followed it
in the rear and on either flank. Immediately
following the Provost Marshals
was a drum corps.
The prisoners were attired in black
felt fiats, loose blouses and soldiers ordinary
shirts and pants. In going to
lief that they experienced any serious
compunction for the crime committed.
Stark especially appeared remarkably
buoyant, and frequently remoTed his hat
and swung it round his head as he recognized
some of his acquaintances in the
crowd. His face wore a faint smile,and
every now and then he would reach over
the side of the wagon and shake hands
with a friend. Schumacher, not onite
so forward in his movements, sat quietly
for most of the time, although occasionally
he would start up and join his
comrade in giving or receiving salutations.
The procession reached the ground at
about 2.30 p. m. The troops already
there had formed a large square so that '
when the others arrived they took their
places in the line. On the side facing
the prisoners was the 6th Conn.; on the
right the 4th Mass. Cavalry, and on the
left detachments of the 76th Pa.; the 85th
Pa.; the 9th U. S. colored and other
troops. The wagon containing the t?ris
? !
oners, and tlie ambulance and the detachment
of the 6th Conn, who were to
shoot the prisoners, also the drummers
who played a dead march, filed round
the troops on the inside of the square.'
They then halted |at the place of execn- ,
tion; the coffins were deposited on the
ground and the preparations immed'
ately entered upon for the last act The \
soldiers withdrew a little to one side, the
wagon was driven away and all retired
from the spot save Father Has am who ^
remaiaoa to aaminister to the prisoners
the last spiritual rite they were to re- j
ceive on earth. On that barren, sandy
soil, the venerable priest, the prisoners
1