The free South. (Beaufort, S.C.) 1863-1864, March 26, 1864, Image 3
VOL. II
l'r?iu Florida.
JaCKSON'VTI L1C, T'liilvh IStll, 1SGL
"Whilst we have no news hero of startJin:*
interest fit pre <nt, it may ha proper
to consul r for a f. v. joonvut.:; the rulviint-.vrea
which will result to tho Cniou cause
from tho occ^ation of Fieri la l?y the j
Union forced. T!.U subject shouM on- ;
ga.fe the attention of al' truly loyal in-n ,
for tho reason the N. Y. llwtl ami j
other copp-i head papers have represented
the Florida campaign as a political movemint,
got np J.y President Lincoln for
the purpose of advancing his prospects
for re-elec.lion. 0:i the AfoClel! m ani- :
conda' principle tl .*? occupation of this
State is esr u' ll t?> the .success of the
Federal are- -. No part of rein 1 territory
hi move U'. than t! i.-, and flio j
me--;y has ! a : {ro:i0hold in it. For ;
two years we Ii ivo ha i pos sessio^of For- '
nr.udi-i.i, tdh Atvpo.thi'% 'i<y West., Tor- |
tiirraa, Fort Jt-rvrson, 'l/Vrt Pickens, and !
for the tl-h'.l i!;nc wo now Isold ?7u?ksonvillo
and P.ualka. Had ??e possesion of ,
Tampa, or had wo, a g,iuho.it to hold (he ;
Suwannee river to the head of naviga- ;
ti;>n, wo should he ahlo to move on to j
Tallahassee, or keep a large rebel force ;
employed to watch our operations. At :
the same time w .4 would prevent them
from driving to the North the large herds
of cattle and hogs they so much need for
Ihe subsistence of their army. According
to 11m circular ? found by our troops
at-Sanderson, ?an ofScial document sitting
forth the condition of the rebel Com
missory, the possession of liorida is
essential to ihe e.ddcnce of the enemy's j
army. Since the loss of the Mississippi
fiver placing Texas beyond his roach.
Florida has become of vast importance
to both parties in the strife. Well, this
State in our hands, the enemy would be
reduced to the starvation point, our block- j
fading fleet and the army of the Depart- I
ment of the South could bo supplied j
promptly with beef from the enemy's '
pastures. TTad wo possession of Talla- j
liassee only the smallest garrison would ;
bt necessary to hold the balance of the !
Slute. "With the capital in our hands it i
I m ' m m
voul i not be difficult to organize a State j
y government and afford protection to the j
Tova! element that exists. Besides in a
movement North for the purpose of eo- :
operating with Gen. Grunt or whoever j
!muy command our forces in Georgia, Tallahassee
would bo an admirable base of
operations. Tallahassee and Florida are
of more value to us than Richmond and
Virginia at the present time.
The confederate government understand
this subject quite ;vs well as we do, and
had it been necessary to send twenty or
even forty thousand troops here for the
jpurpose of keeping us at bay, I have no
doubt it would have been done. What
*Lry did do, in view of the movements of
Oraufc and Sherman, should import to ua
> lesson of the utmost value.
our. Aii?rr
ffhould be strongly re-enforced and not 1
allowed the respite of a moment. The |
season is splendid for campaigning, and
what we do should be done before the
furnace-like days of July and August ar-1
rive. T1 e sanitary condition of cur troops
is excellent. Our wounded in the Lite
battle r.ro doing well, and many of them
will be in tho ranks within a few weeks.
We seldom witness r. funeral procession
jiasMEg to the place of burial. And what
ie of equal importance the men arc in Hue
spirits and are ready any day to follow
their commanders to the field.
om POF.CE AT PALATKA
Meet with some ultras but no attach.
CJol. Barton deserves much credit for the
promptness displayed in fortifying the
place. He considers his position quite
Secure. A rebel cavalry force occasionally
appears in the vicinity, but only for
the purpose of learning what we are about.
We arc gratified every day or so by the
urinal of
#
the free South?reaui
"RE ENFORCEMENTS AND RETURNING YEI'ERANS.
:? *.? i.~ i. ? i .. c ...Pi
.All' I IU I* IV VIK7 lil'JJt 'I llJillf 1 !X it lf\V 11*1 >9
all will 1).' r ndy for a forward movement.
Heavy ordnance is ti-o on lir.nd to assist
us in tic lioiir of need.
V.'o lean* frosn various sources that the ,
enemy is 4\>rti tying in a strong positi >n a
ii'tle w-' d- of camp Finegan. Gon. B'*anrog:
d lias given to tho interests of the4
rebels here, (lie hem fits of his presence
and engineering skill.
Jacksonville is fobe thoroughly policed.
Strong detachments are employed every
day iu clearing up the .streets, vacant lots, !
and carrying the va d amount of rubbish,
produced by the fires which have raged
la-re under boi.il loyal and rob. 1 auspice?*,
to the. riv. r and dep.-.-ding it where it v.iil
1)0 of *I;e greatest value t<? the landing.
Especial attention is paid to 41?e hea.th of !
the place, in vi w of the u ar approach
of the lie t season. Every thing indicates
permanent occupation. A large supply
an d a greater variety of goods are much
needed at present. For somo articles
prices enormously large have to be paid.
fancy seems to act like cu acid upon the
consciences of somo men, and neutralizes 1
it. Fish we eau have in abundance bv
* '
catching, but some get bit by them as j
they refuse to bite.
Jacksonville, March 17, 18(54:.
News has just come iu of the capture j
of the Sunder, a small stern-wheel steam- j
boat, in the Okalawha river, a small |
branch of the St. John's. This tributary j
is formed by a union of the waters of Sil- j
ver and Orange Springs in Marion county, j
Those springs arc among the largest, deep- i
est, clearest and purest in the world.? j
From Orange Spring to the St. John's j
the channel of this river is very narrow ? j
runs very rapidly, ? but in deep enough
for craft of light draught. Near, and at j
the Springs iho stream widens and deep- '
ens, and is so clear that white pebbles can j
be sc. n on the bottom where the water it* I
thirty feet deep. It was far up iu this secluded
spot the rebel steamer w;is found,
loaded with cotton and turpentine. It is
known that two others, the Reliance and
the Silver Springs, are somewhere up the
St. John's or its branches, and search is
now being made for them.
? ? .
Xcrdicrn News.
mi. . n.n t .mi t.* l_ ?: i1._ a x_
xnt; worn urn, wiucu gives me Qecieiury
of the Treasury the power to 6ell surplus
gold, has passed the Homse. It is
hoped that the speculators in gold will be
eliecked by this measure and the premium
reduced.
A new call for 209,000 men. was issueH|
by the President on the 15ti Volunteers
will receive the usual bounties un-^
til April 15th, niter which time a draft is
ordered to fill the quotas due under this
and previous calls.
The President has promulgated an or|
tier retiring Maj. (leu. Ilalleck, with
thanks, and naming Lieut. Gen. Grant,
as commander of the Armic3 of the United
titatas, the Headquarters to be at
Washington, and with the Incut General
in the field. Halieck is to be chief of
staff under the Secretary o? War and the
Lieut. General. Gea. W. T. Sherman is
? .? the Department of the Miss
isbippi. Maj. Gen. MePhcrson ia to command
the Ariny of the Tennessee.
The Exchange of Prisoners i3 to go on
under 'Jin arrangement entered into by
Gen. Butler. T*.vo batches of prisoners
have been exchanged, among thein are
| Gen. Neal Dow, Capts. Sawyer and
I FJynu.
Great exertions nrc being made for the
campaign in the West. An expedition
up tiio Bod river is 011 foot, fifty gunboats
and transports are to take part in
it.
An expedition was last week sent by
Gen. Butler, consisting of two regiments
of cavalry, to King and Queen County,
the locality of the murderous attack on
7ORT, S. C., MARCH 26, 1861.
r?..i ty.u!.? i
i IM't. 1/^UI^lCU 9 tUlillJUlU.l, M iiiC.l UL'UMl* '
. I'll and routed with severe loss the ?th ;
! and 9th Virginia Cavalry, driving them I
! from their camps. killing a number, and !
; capturing twenty prisoners. In addition .
! a largo amount of grain, supplies and
mills were destroyed.
A dispatch from Frankfort says it is
understood that Gov. Bramlette of Kentuck.
y lias seat to the President an earnest
remoa -trance against the enlistment
of slaves in that State. The dispatch indicates
t!i"t the lone of this remonstrance
is very like Cut of a threat.
The flag-of- truce steamer left Fortress
Monroe on the loth iu?t., with /Ho lie')5
I
cl officers ;u I prisoners to he ci.uaugel. j
Among tin-.n v.- is t'ae it mel General rkt>:Hugii
L;v, son of th ? G mer il, siid to he i
exeii uiged for I>rig.-Gen. Ntal Djw.
Advices from Chattanooga of Saturday j
evening say there w?is nothing new from t!ie
front. Tae receipt of rebel deserters ;
averaged 39 per day for the past mouth. 1
Lieut. Col. Sanderson, formeily of :
New York, is charge 1 by his fellow rris- J
onei*s With having betrayed th ;ir plans to
escape from the iabby' i'risou, is under I
amst, within the limits of Willarl's H ?- |
tol, until investigation shall fasten tiie ;
crime on ]f!in or acquit him.
We have dates from New Orleans to
the 6th last. The war news is meager.
Gen. Sherman and staff arrived from
Vieksburg on the 1st, and his presence
leads to surmises of important coming i
events. Troops are returning from Texas
by sea. A portion of Gen, Lee's cavalry
had left for some undivulged point.
Gov. Il.tlm was inaugurate 1 on the 1th
with grand ceremonies. The wife of Geu.
Beauregard died on the 2d. Her funeral
was the most solemn and imposing known
there for years ; over G.000 persons attended,
and the cortege was over a miie
in length. Gen. Banks kindly extended
to the family the steamboat Nebraska to
convey the remains a f v.* mile . up'thoriv- [
or to her father's plantation*. The body ;
was followed to the levee by thousands of
! ladies who wished to take a last farewell
| of one who was loved and esteemed by
1 all.
The
United States steamer lVterhoff
was suuk off Wilmington cn the6th intt.,
by a collision with the steamer Monti cello.
The Navy Department has received the
details of two expeditions sent out from
MmWit. Tolintivi dnviji<? the Vi.'ist I
I H.V * ? t.
uiontli, the objects of which were succes- j
fully accomplished. Having marched j
through swamp and dense woods a tlis- j
tance of four miles, they destroyed the j
g^bel Government salt works at St. Mary's,
At. These were seven miles in extent,
Raid connected with them were, among
other things, 3S>0 salt kettles, 170 furnaces,
and IGo houses and shanties. Similar
works, ten miles distant, shared the same
fate. The property destroyed is estimated
at 82,000,000.
The vote of^Louisiaca for Govenor, as
officially returned, stands: Hahn, 0,158; !
IVlIows, 2.720; 1'liuiders, l,Si7. Terrebonne
Parish, the returns ironi which
wero not received in time toconnt, woul l
change these totals to: Ilahu, t>,l7i; Fob j
lows, 2,950; Flanders, 2,225; Uahn over |
both, 990; total vote of the State, U,diG.
The full returns from New Hampshire
will settle the Union majority at about
" c.iin Tm/* v.-*fn i-j phi?:f l.ftrtO more I
Kj) UUV. X ?VWV -J
than that oi last year. The Legislature
will probably stand thus: Union?Senate,
0; House, "07; Democrats?Senate.
3; House, 124; Union majority on joint
ballot, 89; last year, 53. This will do.
The Denver City Ccmimo,iweoith of the
Z8ih nit., in its legislative proceedings reports
that a joint resolution had been introduced
requesting Dir. Fit/. Johu Sorter
to leave Colorado within thirty daiys.
? + B- '
A woman lately applied for a free ride
ou the, railroad near Troy, N. Y., on the
ground that she had three husbands in
the army,
4
NO. 12.
r.'onoraV Hnmla on<* IfU Abm.v
General Meade ma le a brief speech in ff )
Philadelphia last week in response to Mayor
Henry's a hires* 01 welcome. He &ihlz* Ufl
" When T came to the city to visit my JU
family I did not anticipate such a demon- T1?
stratum m this of to-<L;y, and through yon
I rhenk the citizens of Philadelphia. I
fear, however, yo:i attach too mnch invportrtnco
to the services you have b *er?
kind enough to mention. W th t'u; Divine
assistance, it is to the officers, ami
particularly to the heroic valor of the private
soldiers, Vvc owe the victory at (f ir
tvahnrg. [Cheers.] Had it not been /or
the spirit of determination in every private
soldier when tiio army 1 ;ft Frederick, that
he would leave Ius bones uporuihn field,
or drive back the invader, no ability of
mine wo ill have on IB rel to win the battle
of\i:ty-dmrflf, an I th-nviore on this
occasion I desire ho give fciur'privute soldiers
. 'his public acknowledgment
(Cheers] Before that battle I felt the
deepest concern, as X knew what w<v.i!dbt?
the r? ."..lit of a i'eilurc, and to my oiicers,
< ovps, briga le. regimeutal and company
command* rs, and iiie privates, the country
is inch btedforthe victory wliioh crowned
our efforts."
" I assure yon that the army which hay
sometimes been called 'nufortuButo,*"if
and will be acknowledged the most gallant
army the world over oaw. [ChourscJ
As a statistic, it may not be uninteresting
to know, that since ularch, J8C1, wheik
that army left its linc3 in front of Wash
mgton. not loss tlua oue hundred thousand
men havo been killed and wounded.
Such a record prove the valor or the troope.
Tluifc army is inspired with tho spirit of
devotiou to it3 country; and when th*
season for active work arrives, it shall be
my pleasure to again lead that amy, witlk
the knowledge that its sctvices aro appreciated
at home, and I shali be inspired ay
the thought that my iellow-eitir.enjt aro
interested in my welfare, and will appreciate
whatever is done. Allow mo uguia
to thank yon."
Kino, thi: Puoiorsr, 44 at hohtv"?i
good story is current respecting King;
the pugilist, and the "host" o Husuocka"
Gate Inn, where he resided during hir
training. It appears that a day or tv?
previous to tho encounter with PCermaiv
King, during his play hours from training"
?the "ruling passion" being strong i?
him?induced 44 mine host" to have a ret
to iu the parlor, the host to do all the
hitting, the great pugilist stipulating uot
to return it, but only to parry tho blows.
Warming at his work, 44 mine host" let.
f.ill his blows both fast and furious.
44 Now," said Kiug, who was standing*
with his back close to the wall of t-he room,
"bit me full in the face." Quick as
h/Mir.'if tT?n TYtmieaf. v,/?* V.vmmidfd t<?_
v '*o*' w " 'I - i ? m
with quickness did King avoid tiw
blow by sbiiting his fcead, when th*r
knuckle of the worthy ho?5 went with,
such tremendous l'oreo against the wall
that the sponge was immediately thrown
up. Indeed,"".o serious was the injury
sustained, that "mine host' was compelled
to seek surgical aid in Brighton, amf
there is every probability of his retaining:
a lasting memento of the visit of the groat,
pugilist to his house.?S..rsej SUwzlvrtZ..
As Incident.?A young oiliaer upon tin*
stall* ot* one of our general-., who was temporarily
sojourning at headquarters in th?
Zoliieoiier House, on High street, Nashville,
one day stopped -before the door of!
a neighboring house to admire ;v.v<l earea*
a beautiful little girl. She was fair, bright
and active ; her hair was in ringlets, audL
aae was neatly dressed. I magice the emotions
of our kind-hearted oiSecr when &
young lady remarked to him. with a perceptible
sneer ?
" You .seem to be very 'end of kiaciugniggers."
"flood oracious 1" tvs the su^tkd rc
ply ; " You do n't cm 11 skat child a nigger,
do you':"
" Yea, I do. She is no hing clue."
The ofilcor took another ghnee at tSus
child, who seemed even raore fair t'aaa
the yr.ung lady, and turned away, redeefcj
in& upon some of the peculiarities oL.
j Scnrthern society.
H. D. Coo way, iu a letter to tiro Bo*r5o*
. Commonuwdik, thus showsone oi (he vus&k
forms of court etiquette, which restrict
xh<? will and affections of English priueee:
l r' I learn that there was quite a rebelI
lion at Windsor Castle. The princess vei
heraently opposed h iving a wet nurse*
| and the prince took her side, an 1 coukl
J not see why she should not bo allowed to
| nurse the babe, as she strongly desired to
do. But she was told that the court traditions
could not be set a*idc; never w??
English prince or princess yot nursed by
its own mother. So ihe healthy an.l vir1
tuous Mrs. O'Somciood y was sent for, an*,
i the princess had p. long cry. This is a'
tme story, and somewhat more valuable
i than ordinary court gossip."