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VOL. L _ THE FREE SOUTH. BEACFOUT, S.C.,JI LY IB* 1863. AKenis for tbe Free South. * Taylob & Co. Hilton Head, and SC Helena Island. C. C. Leigh. No. 1 Mercer street. New York. jy Agents wanted In the different Regiments of this Department, for the Fuek Socth. , The arrival of the mail from New York on the 11th inst., bringing details of Lee's overthrow and the fall of Yicksburg, dis sipated the clouds of despondency which for the previous fortnight had settled upon the minds of all in this department; it was in fact, difficult to give expression to the feeling of relief and thankfulness which succeeded so quickly to anxiety and doubt. . The achievements of the army of the Potomac absorbed most of the interest.? . _ ___ The air around us seemed to throb with the mighty pulsations of battle as we read * of two veteran armies, each a hundred thousand strong, engaged for three days in their last desperate struggle for mastery. Animated by the memories of former struggles ; conscious that this was likely to be their final encounter ; knowing that the issue of the war having upon the result; they fought with a courage, an energy and skill that never has been surpassed. Thanks be to God the cause of freedom and humanity triumphed.? A whole nation and millions yet unborn will do honor to the noble army of the Potomac for the benificent result. It had long been inadequently led, aad, ? as a consequence of that leadership, had been wasted in no less than five severe and sanguinary campaigns. We were told, indeed, that it was utterly dispirited by these successive failures; we knew that it was depleted in numbers by the termination of,the nine months enlistments ; and it was doubted by many whether the administration had taken all the means in its power to recruit its ranks and maintain its moral confidence. There were those even shameless enough to proclaim that it would not fight at all, except under a particular general, as if an American army fought for a man alone and not for a cause. But m the face of these sombre predictions the Army of the Potomac has exhibited a spirit, an endurance, a discipline and a gallantry which would * ? ?* x ? 1L ~ V?4. ? , nave Clone nonor w any OI me uesi mrniw in the world. It has made rapid and toilsome marches by night as well as by day; it has endured the most exhausting pri. rations and fatigues ; and, at the end of of all, it has resisted attack with stubborn discipline and iron firmness, and rushed into conflict with springing alacrity and enthusiasm. Had it won no decisive victory, it would still have redeemed its name by the energy and vigor of its attempt But it has more than*won a victory, it has completely routed the enemy, at the latest showing, inflicted upon him injur es which will be irreparable in all time. Immortal honor and glory then, -to the noble Army of the Potomac ! Nor should we forget, in this season of -our triumphs, the honored dead by whose toils and sacrifices it hasr been largely won. Many a gallant spirit lies silent forever on the bloody field ; many peaceful homes are instantly made desolate; our hearts go forth in sorrow to the fallen and the condolence to the bereaved ; but this is the eternal glory of those who have perished, as of those who mourn their deaths, that they have given their lives to the noblest cause in which man was ever called to suffer. They have died for a country which is worthy of the blood of its citizans; for the honor and integrity of a government in which the dearest rights of millions are involved; and for great principles of human freedom and human justice, in which the world and ages to come are deeply interested. Nowhere could they have earned a more glorious renown, for nowhere else could th ij have contributed a better service to humanity. The wheat harvest has commenced in Illinois, and it is very heavy. * ' # THE FREE SOUTH, SAT Major General Meade. Assuming liis heavy responsibilities at an inauspicious moment General Meaile appears to have emerged from the trial with the highest honors of the soldier.? In the absence of authentic official reports we are unable to judge of the skill and ability of his manoeuverings in the field, but such information as we have would seem to prove that his dispositions were made with solid judgement, that his forces were advanced or withdrawn always at a proper time, that he was himself every where present to see his orders fully executed, and that he knows how to pursue as welbas how to fight.? The modesty and reticence of his brief despatches, in which we find no vain glorious promises of success yet unachieved, no mentioned of superb charges and tremendous captures, and his statement of the progress of events * up to the hour, would go to confirm tlje high estimates of his soldierly qualities which the public is disposed to form. It may yet be that a man who went into the war quite unknown, who h?s had no party to herald his triumphs before they were won, or to cover his defeats with palliations and excuses, will come out of it the real hero of the day. * J^If the old proverb "Like master, like man" holds good in the confederacy, then our chivalric neighbors on the main land must be in a most dilapidated condition. The contrabands who were brought off by Col. Higginsou from the Edisto river were the dirtiest, raggedest, leanest specimens of dark humanity we have ever seen. The eye selected them at once from the crowds of comparativele well dressed, healthy, happy, comfortably looking men and women who were welcoming them so warmly on their debarkation. We were sorry to*see so many very old, worn-out and feeble negroes among those brought away. Many of them have but a few years to live, others are jiot likely to be anything but an expense to the government. It would seem like doing a favor to tlio rebels to bring away such. They are likely to experience here quite as many of the trials of freedom as of its blessings. 4^*From such accounts as we have, we think the circumstances connected with the loss of the guns of the Connecticut Battery, which were thrown overboard from the steamer Miljgn on th? recent expedition should be investigated. A very small amount of courage and good J ?A V, /.MA eoiTA/3 iVio mirtn juugeuieiit wuuiu uai c oavcu vuv wwwj and brought off much other property which had to be destroyed. That there was no necessity for such precipitate flight from the boat Is shown by the fact that Major Strong, of the First South Carolina, returned to the wreck and, unmolested, destroyed her. It is hard to see any reason why those guns could not have been removed to the John Adnins, or at least placed in a flat and towed down the river to a place of safety. jgp* By thtf deserters to Fort Pulaski, we learn that Charleston has for the third time been emptied of its inhabitants.? The new attack took them completely by sui prise, as they had. supposed it safe to return to their home^ and were fast getting comfortably settled for the summer. hrtr. onn4- MiAvc7 ovaiIoKIo man fn QttYtlll Hfll I llflC O^UII OfWJ U V UJUUMAV ?uuu ?v Charleston, but the 'worst apprehensions are entertained of the result The* name of Gilmore is a synoniin for activity, genius and success in Savannah. Memories of the fall of Pulaski fill their minds and their fears point to a similar fate for Sumter. Presentation. -j-Lieut P. F. Hodge, of Co. A. 55th Pennsylvania Volunteers, was on the 15th inst., made the recipient of a sword, sash and belt, by the members of his company, as a token of their high regard for his many*|irtues as a soldier and a gentleman. Negro soldiers in Kansas receive only 10 dollars a month. URDAY, JULY 18,1863. fcaTThe recent raid upon the Combahee, under the command of Col. Montgomery, has been the subject of much severe comment in the public press of the north. Qpom the Boston Common icealUi we make the following extract: In the first place, it affords seeming justification to the calumny against negro troops, that they will not observe the rules of civilized warfare. How industriously this slander has been propagated in Europe and among the northern people, what harping there has been upon the "horrors of servile war," all men know. And now the very first act of the government, or at any rate, of those whom the troops must obey, seems studiously calculated to give the colors of truth to this malignant falsehood. That such has been the effect of the irregular proceedings in question is undoubtedly true. That it is unjust to draw llsuch conclusions, to the detriment of the character of the colored troops in this department is manifest to those who have had an opportunity to know how obedient and manageable they are in action or in occupation. No troops in the entire course of this war have conducted themselves % with a more honorable decorum in the enemy's country than those who captured Jacksonville. Private property has been as safe in their presence as under the charge of its owners. Without the orders and example of their -officers we are satis fied that no such scene^of pillage and destruction would have taken place as are reported. Let it be distinctly understood, therefore, that the responsibility for all the acts committed on the Combahee should rest with the officers, and so far as we know they are willing that it should so rest. Not a house was btirned or "looted" because of the disobedience or uncon trolled cupidity of the men, but in direct accordance with the order and example of the officers. A Blockade Runner Captured by the Planter. On Monday a schooner was perceived endeavoring to make her way out to sea by the narrow and shallow channel back of Sullivan's Island. The Planter happening to be in the neighborhood was instantly sent in pursuit, and drawing but little w$ter she was able to intercept het after ^ short c^ase. She was towed out to the fleet by her captor and was found to be loaded with cotton and naval stores, bound for Nassau. The impudence which she manifested in attempting to put .to sea in sight of almost one hundred gunboats and transports is certainly to be admired. The old Planter vill have a little prize money by her lucky capture. ? 1. Changes in this Department from January st to June 30.?Enlisted Men, disch^jged on Surgeons cer; ificate of disability, 427, discharged by Medical Inspectors, 471 ; Total, 898. Discharged by reasons of promotion, 141; by order of the Secretary of War, 2 ; upon application after 20 years service, 1; Died, 152. Commissioned Officers, Resigned, 2 Colonels, 6 Liehtenant Colonels, 5 Majors, 30 Captains, 48 1st Lieutenants, 38 2d Lieutenants, 10 Surgeons and Assistants, 7 Chaplains; Total 146. Dismissed by sentence of General Court Martial, 8; died, 4. Commissioned Officers discharged by orders of War Department : For disability, 9 ; for incompetency,* 4 ; cause not stated, 3 ; mustered out 2 ; dismissed by the President, 3. Total 179, commissioned officers. m On Monday, a transport bringing supplies to the beleaguered garrison of Fort Wagner was discovered by our artillerists approaching Cummings point. Our batteries immediately opened upon her and in a few moments a shot struck her steam drum, entirely disabling her. She soon grounded and was abandoned by her crew. During the night a detachment of our men was sent out to destroy her.* They succeeded in setting her on fire and burning her to the water's edge without the slightest opposition from the enemy. NO. 28. , Attack on Helena, Arkansas. On the fourth of July our forces, under . General Prentice, at Helena, Ark., con' sisting partly of three colored regiments, were attacked bv ten or twelve thousand v f ; rebels uuder Price and Marmaduke. The ? ! attack was very fierce and determined, ; lasting from daylight till dark. In the j early part of the day a battery of six guns wal captured by the rebels, but was afterward retaken by ouV men. The rebels A 11 11 ?Jl 1 1 were nnany repuisea witn neavy loss in. killed and wounded, and 850'prisoners. ? The Union loss was only about 100 killed- . that t>f the rebels 500. The steamers Tycovii and Silver Moon arrived in Memphis with the prisoners. Details of the engagement have not yet been received, but it is stated that the colored troops fought bravely and did good service. These are ^ the same troops who repulsed the rebels at Miliken's Bend. B?Bp. On Wednesday two men in a small boat hailed ouf pickets near Seabrqjok and. were allowed to land. They proved to be two German deserters from the 3d. South Carolina cavalry. They had been placed on picket only that morning and. finding a boat in the marsh, took advantage of a long sought opporcunity to escape. They had been in service about sixteen months, having been taken out ot ** their work-shops and drafted into the southern army early in the war. They possess but littlo information of use to us, having been kept fh ignorance of passing events by the confederate authorities.? j They report their rations to be small in J quantity and poor in quality. Their ! clothing was entirely of English mani^ : facture, and was course but good. They are much better supplied in this respect now than formerly. They were armed, with Colt's revolvers, silver mounted, being a part of those sent south in such, quantities jy Buchanan's secretary of war, After an examination by Capt. W. M. McArthur, of the 8tli. Maine, recently appointed Provost Marshal of the post at ? Hilton Heed, they were allowed to go to work in the Quarter Master's Department. Bgk, That the destitution and suffering' in the manufacturing towns of New England, which had been anticipated by some persons as the result of a deficient supply of cotton and the consequent suspension of operations in many cotton mills, has not occurred, appears from a statement just published of the condition of the savings banks in five of the largest towns of that character in Massachusetts, viz : Lowell, Lawrence, Waltham, Fall River and Taunton. In these, there was during the year 1862, as compared with 1861, an increase of 2687 in the number of depositors, and of 81,162,264 47 in the amount of deposits. ? The returns of the bank commissioners to the legislature show, for an aggregate of between eighty and ninety savings institutions in the state, the depositors increased by 23,842, and the deposits by $5,618,235 67; the total amount of the latterln 1862 being 850,403,674 23. A FeaAful Record.?An army officer writes from Louisiana, to the Boston Trimr script, that the camps of the black regiments in Gen. Banks' army, are models of neat? ?? ' ness and order, and that but one man in the whole command has been punished for misconduct. Never were men seen to fight with more dauntless courage and devotion than these raw recruits. Ho adds : Every one that presents himself to be recruited striDs to the skin, to be surveyed by the surgeon. We do not accept onehalf that offer. On Tuesday out of 82, only 33 were accepted. I have directed my surgeons to keep accurate lists of the causes of rejection. They report to me that not one in fifteen is free from severe lashing. More than one-Jutlf are rejected, because of disability arising from lashinj icith xchips, and the biting of dogs in their aires and thighs. It is frightful. Hun- I dreds of them have welts on their backs \ as large as one of your largest fingers.? I intend to have these memoranda col1 lected and published, with certificate oi surgeons. *