The free South. (Beaufort, S.C.) 1863-1864, April 02, 1864, Image 3
4
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VOL/ II.
IfcliiliESTiSa ITUC 'i 3LGJIM
I'APrT'KE c;* ATJOTSJr.K STEaHSB. j
ATTACK ON PALATKA.
III. \.u.)vxf.i .ii;, P.: rr.'cr
JiO>* Mr.rci: i'J, ISwi. i"
Tbv/igli i.il is quiet in tlti.s military J: - ;
triot, yt*i to a careful observe? there are ,
borne things that are full of interest. Only
a few ruiks from us a largo rebel force
occupies r. strongly fortiiieel position,
which is becoming stronger every day. ;
Beo'ieM is quiet in Jvuoxviiio, mourns
ha-; f:ulen back from Dalton, unci the rebel :
authorities are at liberty t ? throve into j
Florida a force su.Oiefc-ut to crush us at a J
blow. Having railroad communication
from any part of the territory they ho!d ;
in the camp they crapy in our front,
tr< >opa could bo brpnght here, fight a battle
and return if the ir soraces were needed
elsewhere, without consuming bu little
time. This suddenconcentration L troops
a single point Las been tl t policy
practiced and the secret of the'? success
from the beginning of the war. If they
conclude that both Florida and Itichmond
oannot be held, I have not a doubt that
wo shall have hot times, and as soon as
we arc ready to play successfully our part
of the game.
Since the capture of tho "Sumter," on
account of which I wrote you last week,
/ho "Hulii/ Brock," a far more valuable
prise, haa been taken. The second expedition
was fitted out at Palatka. A
prize crcv waa put aboard the "Sumter," j
Ji.n'1 she composed a pari of the little fleet.
Acting Master Champion had command, 1
Ji-nd inndo the steam tug (hlutnbine hi>
flag-ship. F.'.W. Sanborn, mate, and 12 >
men formed the crew. A launch from
the Pawnee ai-jo accompanied the expedition.
On the night of the 12th this net
very formidable fleet started out on a
rrulse up the St. John's. Rations wore
iat.cn for only three days, and when Ave
days had pnsvd, no tidings baring been
received from them, we became considerably
;d rmrd for their safety. Hut an
earnest l,.uh-r with the prospect 1;afore
lii:n of capturing a valuable prize, will
ufthc rvuy a sMft wv n provision:; are
getting low. Alter in ah lug a thorough
exploration of Lake George without success,
he determined to move further up
fcho river.. And on ho goes exploring
every nook and tributary and bay and
b&von of that crooked stream till Palatka
is sonic SO miles in his rear. Lakes Puckford
and Joseph were examined but nothing
found, and it was determined to
push up to Lake Harney, 100 in ilea above
P&latka. It wits hero that perseverance
mtaa f>Yi,rirr.oA tr?i'h nnn.\e.-+u THn 41 IT.i/.'it "
w she was fondly and familiarly called,
waa found tied up nn:?.r thob'.irh in :m
out-of-the-way place and abandoned by
the rcbrls. Oar men took possesion,
lowed her out into o place of safety and
hastily mr.de fouic exauiiriation^. she
"had on board about ICO bales of cotton, a
lot of turpentine mid a cop per turpentine
boiler. ft was i'onnd that the elide valves
rf her engine7.cro canting; woou-.'-n ones
ir:ro txtcrnpor'ze.i, and in a few hour.*
rtorun v.<ij up .m l the c: ;.ft v;ns moving
down the liver. The ,l Natty " has a capacity
for carrying rCO bides of oott m,
Iks an eietiiont double engine. and cod
$20,000. She i.i the best boat that was
ever built, especially lor tho upper Si.
John's trade. On tha way down, as the
liitlo 2' '-t pawed Fort Gatca, u volley from
muskets was fired into them, bat without
effect. Tho Columbine's long gnu project'
- ? ^ - ?-v ? * rm.T.?^illon
>ng over JUT JJJU'IV cwuii j[JU> VUQ guutiu>K>
to fligut n:>d thoy "wore seen no more.
But the moTtexqmwt'lypaittThl part .of
the trip occurred at Enterprise*. As the
fleet movi?a up to the pior near the k< Brock
House,"' tie"1 veritable Mian Hnttie,"after
vhom the boat wa? named, as is a favorite
custom throughout the South, made
her appearance on the verandah, ov? rvhelmeil
%vith astonishment, indignation
sad grief, as she saw that hor namesake,
....
THE FREE SOUTII^-liEAU
i
Ike pride of Ikt life, had fallen into the 1
hands oi the Yankee*. The little black
| e\ cu belle seamed like an angel angry. j
: She v.aa eloquent in her grief, but those j
1 marines, hardened fellows, did nothing j
but to;.r up .a part of the pier to be used
as"i';i'H dnriug the rest of the voyage.
It is now certainly known that the
Silver Springs is far up the Ocol&waha in a j
large basin-like spring of the same name.
The Rdvuire and one more boat are up
the Sc. John's somewhere, and the mariners,
knowing the value of prizes and
having got a taste, will not rest till all are
found and captured.
ATTACK ON FALATKA.
On the evening of the 22d iust. the
rebels made an attack 011 our picket lines
at Palatka, drove thorn in, surrounding
|
one and capturing him and another man. j
j The alarm was given, the long-roil beat, j
and Col. Barton'8 army was soon in line !
of battle. The gunboat Ottawa joined in j
the fray and shelled the rebels most vigor- ;
ously for about an hour. The object of
i tho uttaek waa probably to i'eel of our
; lines, test our righting quahties and find
out our position, as pi eliminarics to an
anticipated assault upon the town. But
: Bueh is onr position and defences that no
fears need bo entertained for our safety, j
j What casualties tho rebels suffered, if any, j
; are not known.
| At Yellow Bluff ft few days since Lieut.
[ D. H. .Tones, Co. I, 55th Mas3., was accii
dentally shot through the heart by a solI
dier. His body was bronght to Jackson- I
1 ville, and is to be sent North,
i By flag of truce we learn that lit. Col.
Boyle, 1st N. C., who was reported wound;
ed and missing after the battle of Olustce,
is recovering, and has been sent probably
to Columbia.
! IFnmun KipittN in Port Koyal.
1 in the Boston Cbmmuntc<*:;!h of March
1 18i.ii a long letter appears with the above
title. We are tempted to reprint the ;
; whole article, but space forbids. "\Vecaunot,
however, resist the following on the j
\ subject of ''Surveys." Any one who has j
| looked at the articles <vJIed maps in the j
| Tax Co crajsiiioneis' oiliee will appreciate
| ihc righteous indignation which animates
i the writer. These "surveys" were made
| nuder the direction of but one of the
i OeaiirussioJiciv, Dr. Brisbane,
i Now thou, three cH gen i lemon from
; the Northwert, with cryskdiizod modes
| and habits of thought and cxiKuieut, go
I to work to map out the Iau 1. And what j
do they do? Aecu. iomtd to the sy.steDi !
of laying out the public lands over the
broad, virgin prairies of the West, where. 1
all lines run north anil south, and
west, ami go by description thus into all
title deeds, those men lirst threw away
their common scncc for this occasion, and
kigqe.d th v.n and made application of this !
moat unodapted and unaduptable western i
system of survey to trie Sea Islands. I
will not take time to prove its absurdity ;
as apphea to Port Hoyul. Tim coasequen- j
era arising are llrsfc, groat coat, nuueet'S- i
B:vry labor and delay, the annihilation of j
lmturea's ancient landmarks which she ;
kindly established along tho creeks and :
over iho broad expanses of marsh land,
j and also of thocoiiveuhntbouudariesond
roads artificially established by the oi l
' planters in reference to the geographical
j lines of nature's drawing and to secure j
ronyeiiionee of access to and from the
! plaulr.ti Ji*s. Ail tliij the C wiLiisa'cuer;j
i overt urn ad :.ui reduced to entire oorifn
j elon and nonsense. Put are oacapp.nia '
i must now conform to these arbitrary
boundaries. They must tear down their ;
j fences and awing them about to match at'
grt.it expense. The negroes must twist |
I f' '? fn-.\ ?. nnr? in fthort. :ill the i
good sense and good order of the previous '
system of roads sad boundaries must all!
nn Ki'. r-" 1c*.d to accomacodato either the i
ignorance or whims of these throe old i
gentlemen, while the country must foot !
! the bill and get no equivalent. Any com- j
| potent surveyor could have made au nee!
essary survey.; in three months' time and
j have based his scientific operations on ilic
j base lines measured by nature herself. j
I As I look over the grand plan of these
i Commissioner:*, in conception and execution
it is ill-digested, crude and partial;
| it looks only to the temporary, menu and
1 narrow end of pairing, a f?jw dollars more
j oL'hssinio tho treasury of the I'aifcod
j States. It could not have boon studied
' pud devised with reference to the great
j ends, which humanity, patriotism ;uid
I otet'-viiiianship demand.
FORT. S. C., APRIL 2. I SGI.
A <;cucrnl C-i-ucr.
W"e puhK-b the following order from i
Gen. \V a. Birney, lor tI?o inforiaatiov. of !
jill concerned, with Hie remark that he is |
just the man to carry it out:
General Orders, IVo. 11,
llKAiKjCABTEW P. S. PoSCCd, "1
Tonr ltOY.ii. f; ivsp. I'rvrrouT. S. C\, )
.March ;?0, 1 ^01. J >
The Brigadier-General Commanding is
informal that certain parties have endeavored,
by false and fraudulent statements
and menaces of force, to obtain possession ;
of the lands occupied and planted by the
froedmen, and of the frecdmcn themselves ;
as laborers at low rato^. or of a large portion
of tbe.r crops. Tne statements are,
in effect, that the U. S. Government has
declared the pre-emption claims worth-*
les3. and issu< d orders to the military
commander at this Post to eject the
frecdmcn from their plantations, unless ,
they will agree to work tiwni for subsequent
claimants. Terrified or made desperate,
some of the pre-emptors have abandoned
their fields, others have promised i
to give up half or three-fourths or other
large portion, of their cotton crops for
the privilege of remaining in their own
homes and gathering in the froits of their
own toil, and others have accepted the
low wages offered them.
The effect of those fraudulent practices
upon > simple and industrious people is
to shake their confidence in the justice of
the Government, to reduce the passive and
most ignorant to abject dependence upon
the Dion who deceive them, dimiuHi the
tillage of the soil, divert the laboring
people from regular industry and throw
them into the desultory life of fishermen,
odd-job meh about town and petty
speculators, rejecting large numbers of
the otrod, infirm and young upon the
-mi!itftry?authorities for support.
It is, therefore, ordered that any person
or persons who, by means of threats
of ejection by military or other force, <>r
by fraudulent misrepresentation, or personal
violence or menaces of it, shall attempt
to got possession of any plantation,
land or house now occupied by persons
elaimirg as pre-emptors under the instructions
approved by President Lincoln,
December 81. 1803, or as occupants under
certificates of the Tax Comruiasioncrs, or
jw purchasers at tax sales, or to get. from
the pre emptors the promise of largcportions
of their crops, in consideration of
not being ej.>eted, or to make any other
unconscionable or mau-htl nit bargain with
the labor n:.*, or shall perform said acts or
any of them, shall be "Drought before a
Military Commimicn. If convicted, the
aeni n, a shall include full restitution cud
h.rd b.<?or at-'-v.iou I'.lli'.ge. or oaUm* field
T.oih on the plantation r.he-re the crime
was coihmittc i, or ether convenient plantation.
AH accessories to bo tr? ated a>
principal.'.
Person* making, contracts with plantation
v.ov'.nieu i'or labor, uinst comply
strictly with existing orders of Feb. i'J,
18o*.
It is m-.ule the duty of all oiiieers and
soldiers of this command to report promptly
all violations of this order. Disturbers
of the peace on cither ?>ido will be prompt
ly nr. nicd.
The workmen are advised to pnsh their
llol'.l work early and behave gniet'y,
snd await patiently n <loci-.ion by the proper
aaihoriliT-s In regard to the validity
of their elcims. Even if adverse, it will
probably not oust freed un u of small erop3
planted ia good faith.
Ev 0vtvtit ok WTLLTAM BIUNKY,
rrV.-'Vn. r, S. V. C;j3:!V.'.;;J!a>j IV;t.
ths evening of ITaivli 2'th a
picket boat under command of Capt. Perry,
8th Me. Vols, was proceeding to the
station at Coo>aw Island. When n...vr
EriJcyard point, thvi sen i-tel on picket
there hailed the boat, but receiving
reply, tired his musket. The charge entered
the breast of Private Tobias C. Lord,
Co. B. 8tli Ate. Vols, killing him almost instantly.
Cttpt. Perry reports that his
boat vtsa but two hundred yards from the
shore, and that the wind which was blowing
very hard at the time prevented him
| from h rring the elmlleuge of the sentinel.
The sonti.v-1 appears to bo justili - l iu
his action.
I Tho author of "Tho Par. oil's PiaghI
tor,"'.vhcu'-urpii-nvl oar* oveain-? ia nis
j arm chair, two or three hour3 sifter dinner,
is repirtel to have apokvrh'.Ovl by
j atiyiasjf. * Wliou oae is u!oa , ;iio b*nt!o
j d< es coino vonu'L so oft n." On n similar
occasion, Sir Hercmles Languish, on be
in^f asheJ. "Hay* von smshod all that
| Port- (throe bollics) withont assistance?"
> rmswoiv.'l, "Xo, not qnitc that: I liu.il the
' K-suituaco of a botile of Madeira,"
-r "
' -V
'
XO. l.'L .
" ? ' *
i A nircky T.'tlug.
Exfr.irt from r. ?iw.^r, J it-r .1 H :vi?orf,
N. G., March 7 th, W-J, revived from a ?
of lice v of tlio Mocka-ling ^iiaJroo, u?
Wilmington, N C.
" The Montieello also crrivod. She L?
; commanded by Leeutouiut Cashing, ttKi> ^
has distingue!*' 1 hiwsvk on several oceasious,
mid roc '' . 1 tlv> o unman 1 n t?u>
MouticGIo for his services in tin: N.m.~crmor.d
river, ile Ins ju.;t performed a
feat of d u*ing hnrily equalled sin ?e the
war brgan, and very much resembling th?
Burton and Prescott afchir in our bay.
| He pulled into the it "* river with two
boat1?, passed Fe?*t Caswell, and w:nt up
j the river above Siulthvillo, which town lb
:-o>ii'* .our or .'.?<? iiiile** above the for*,
hf h -u turned round and came down to tto
i \vn fro:a above, oa it tram Wilmington.
Js> pewed within ion yards of a sentry, oa
poet on a wharf, buttiicsohdier wtsiuiwep
or drowsy. IIo then atteefod a landing"
near some salt works. Oaea'ug erjpi. up
on his hands and knoefl to the f>rd and
captured t .to darkies, v. ho agreed to x:i
us guides. lie then lauded again at the
town, and witii a ttjaaaan, an officer, aa?L
i hio guides, went directly to the General'* ^
i house. On the opposite aide of the street
were barracks, containing a thousand.
! men. lie opt nod tire d?>or, went npsfteunr
and found that the General was not it
| home. The officer below then told him.
; to oomc down, as a roic w^vs going on.
He hastened down and found that an offi'
cor had left the house in hie shirt, had
| taken to wo<>d? in the roar of the town,
j Another officer bt<x>d with a chair in th^
corner o! the room. Cushing closed with,
him, throw him down and put a revolver
to his head ; the fellow became trmqail
! Cnshing then RtroCk u light and tj;d tbo
| officer to dress. They took him to ilu?
. boat and escaped clear. Now the point.
; wher.-, to my in: ml, nerve of the ^
I most order wv> displayed, was, in Jotting
the o?fi?n* dress, aa-1 w:uting for aim t>
do so, when they wore perfectly
that another (the Adjutant General) Ail
eseaped, au'l might at any moment brio?
! an amy about t)ieir oars. Luckily, if
j hc?J Ho<I to the woods without >-poak:U?
I to a soul thii^ting the Y mke? vau
I in possesion. The General made it :z.
| habit to sleep in tun: Louse every Mjuj
day nig.it, but this night was detained at
j Wiimiugf on. Wo hnrned this fi>m tho
j the blo -ku tj-rn.nner itfury Anna.
people 01 Wuiu'tigton av.j gr?-.Piy 'ihmijodofthe
ocoTVcr. a'-;, and a repot, tioo
would be <Ta age roes. Cr.lr'ag aikervMitL* " i
j learned that ahont Uio time the ; .:b k i got
j fairly on the alert, i?.n 1 had t dogr.iph-il
j to the torts, he was posting them in tiro
tlarkn-ess.
! Tsie o.'iieer capi ire 1 w.v? Cr.pt. Ti dly,
Chi d Engineer o? the mi ;trry worm*
; abou: Wilmington. I sal ^ou c.eloeocl.
! r t rn dollar bill, which Cad'ng go: froua
him at the present rr.ro of exchange, 1 for
j 2S. Is a sort of memorial of the p'noiti
o t thins done this war ny r? navy oil* 5or?
i ;f .*j nv^>!i t voiai*. 'Pfce Onshi.ijf. %.f
' th.'ifc j imily, arc ell brave. Oae brother
I died ut Gettysburg in tbo most gaJLmt
manner. Ho hail illstitigciehcwl ;;Iru*iilfr .
bolero :?*, Antioiim. FI-vl ?io ):*. : ?!, in- :
wouH have bso.-me r. Brigahirr. AaotLtrr ;
brother is w-rh Orant."
i ^ t^ma
.Hcii?dLUa? :iu.1 a Slav>-*
i A considerable myaber oC \u siri^a iui? w
I v.il officer-: have asked to bj'.'h.v M ixi nn:
inn I. to Mexico. Mi l have been acc oMsl?
The new Emperor. it i* xaid, ity Vifn - ?w
j nothing o'.isefaan creating u noweriui :iz*
! vy in the Golf of Ataxic j, :** the fiiinft/.
mean* of eiwiiug that lvn&\\ barri/ c
r-fiiiiv*' * ;?: o* A:.;"io-A .il/ f.
i i? .c r >:o. &?. Oran.I Admiral of tho ?Au;
fttrinn Navy, t . rcliduhealso.^i-avr ?: .si
j io obtain u;.;?ropi'iifcti-)iis t'< .* Me Mn-jf rm-|
;-La of amou' iMpo?. ,l>!e u.vy than tbr.fc
I j!rtsse<:>: 1 by Ar-^ria, b'M ij Umt
! cj'iu'. v ever; 9 M/-. iced t-; nrMr.y,
and the Dako".? tV-a .r. a V;# ao
listened to. As Ihap-'r Ji* o: ?d- / .co, a.1.
; will lir.vo the power ju 1: is own i>* .id*, ;uid
; be liopoii. by baildlu^ uu & nr.;/, lo slita
nlatc the pride and V o am :i' g in of -uni
; nution, aui run*. wib ).U own
j pjpnlariiy, be Mbhug to ihe vreuirtti of
} j'uo comtrv. lint vaor ? is !.)>-> money la;
come from?
I i. ; . .i- -iM t'l.o wnivJ ivib h i?t?; *
x:*5 " '** ?? v - -??r j
army ami wwy ofem nf.w in l^rou*-,.
; wim see tii it tie itf >lKiiiof. is likely r.?V .
;; i':rlliUV, K.l"'.: to >; > Hv
' Maximilian in 'tis army :iad u ;v*. ?n I it j
i* prafoa'm*' t-i is n laws* na ab-.r 4 ti
oi'-ivrs will tiul their way v.'.tia^u-iy
MnxS service.
Au eugtgmout toaK filj on trio bJ:h
j two niiL'S e.v^t of T'o.'c V? y.>y tltr'i
; federals anil 1030 reb?*^ which the ea,
j emy v.vro von ie*l ?<>' :l jv, . j? tif:v LiH -i
' muWounded. - .. "
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