AMERICA

Otago Witness, Issue 569, 24 October 1862, Page 3

AMERICA

T he groat battles before Richmond which were described in our hut, have been followed hy a period of comparative quiet, so far as operations iv Ihe field aie concerned ; but there can be little doubt thnt iinport.vitnioveiheutsw.il be made shortly on the one hide or the other. McClel'an's troops still hold the potion which they took up a I Turkey "'end, on tlie James River, after their retreat Here they are protccftd by the enmhonts, and their communications h.u-e hitherto not been interfered with. This state of nlYiirs. however, cannot be expt-txl to last long. Tha Confederates have been erecting batterie* at several points which mena'e the Federal position, while they have been collecting their fo-cts from all qivutcrs. and missing them in the nthrhborhood of the NoithiTii m my. Tin ir plan, it would appear, is to cut oil' M'Clcilan's suppli. s, and so force him to capitulate. Gcitaiti movements lately made hy the Federal commander, tend to confirm the belief, which i« generally entertained at Washington that he is intent on getting 1 away from the p">iinsiila on v/hi.'h lie is at present enc'impcd, as soon as possible. If he is able t.« escape out of the " fit" into which ho has le I his army, he will probably join General Pope, who has !rea slowly mo\ ing southwards for the List fe.v wceUf., aloivy the Bhenandoah Valley, in the direction of Richmond. This movement would be a very dangerous oi c, huh it might succeed. Kvea if uccc'-sful, however, it would amount to a confession that the great campaign had p>o< ed a failure, and that the Podera' capital could not be lett without the proteru n of a large -iriuy. General Hope has under him some GO, OOO men. Tho original p'.an was that he shouU opeiTt'j against the Confederate aiiny at Richmond from the North, al the .same time that M'Clellan operated from the K.if-t. It is proh-iblc that all i fea« of such combined movement have now been civen up. Pope's long line — according to indications contained in letter,-! fiom vrio-is quarters, it must le 50 miles in extent — has ree. ntly been pierced by the inaefatigxble Cos federate genera'!, " Stonewall" Jackson. Pope's force a,V<ar.s l<) ha.c lien atrelched out between Frcdeticksburgh and Madison. The divided position of his tro ips pre-entcd an opportunity which a keen soldier like Jackson was not likely to neglect, and fiom his central position he serins to have cro-'sed the Uapidmi in fiuce— an easy mattci, as the river is fordahle in all direclions — and to iiave h'-oken into th" midst of his opponent's lines. He advanced from the lieighborhoo 1 of Gordonsville nnd threatened the right of the Federals. General Hanks, in command on the right, brought up his divisions to stop the Confederates, and he appears to have got under the lire of Jacksons's guns and to have been well h aten. From Uie fact that one or two Federal guns were taken we infer that Banks must have been at'aeked on the march. It is quite probable that the Confederates outnumbered their opponents, because it would be Jackjjnn's aim to surprise his foe and beat him in detail. It i« also probable, as nairated, that the anival of reinforcements, in othor words, thecon-c-ntrafion <«f that wing of the Federal army, induced Jack son to retire across the llap'ulan towaids his old qiiAvt'-rs, Ciiviying with him a gnu or guns captured fri.m the ene ny.

Billing tlie past month nn irregular guerilla war has been can ied on in Tennessee. Kentucky, and Missouri. It is difficult to say on which side there lnis been a pieponderance of success; hnt the course of events has proved that a hrge part of the population of those States is disaffected to the Union. We do not doubt that G-neral Butler, at New Orleans, and the Federals on the South Carolinian and Georgian co-.stsare iv great danger. On the whole, present prospects are favourable to the Confederates, but unless they strike home bpfore the new levies are in the field, before the new gunboats are ready ior active sei vice, before the rivers are again full of water, they will have to repeat, under less advantageous circumstance 4 !, their exploits dining tlie last two months. It still remains to be seen whether they are able to assume the offensive and strike at the heart of their foes.

The recapture of Baton Rouge, by the Confederates last month turned out to be a fkkc report ; but it appears certain that that feat has now been accomplished. The Southern papers report that the Confederates under Breekenridge took Baton Rouge upon the Gth of August, afrer defeating the Federal forces and capturing their camp equipage and stores. The Federal General Williams was killed. Geneial Breckenridge afterwards returned to Collett's River, 10 miles from Baton Rouge, there being no water between that point and the Mississippi. Bouthern journals also claim a victory at Tuzewell, near Cumberland Gap, where the Federals were repulsed with heavy slaughter. The Federal flotilla of the Mississippi has been compelled to abandon the siege of Vicksburg.

General Halleek has been appointed to the com-mand-in-chief of the armies of the Union. He does not supersede M'Glellan, who is still at the head of the army of the Potomac.

In our last we stated that President Lincoln had called for a new levy of 300,000 men. This call has not been responded to. In spite of the bounty looney offered by the Federal Government, by the States, and by individuals, amounting on the average to £50 per mnn, not a twentieth part of the required number of recruits came forward. The President has now crdeied that all vacancies in the supply of the 300,000 men shall be filled up by drafting, aud that another draft of men shall be collected of 300,000 more. This is a demand for 600,000 men, and if obeyed will change the whole ftspectof the war. It is hardly possible to five an adequate conception of the excitement caused in the North by this or ler. The New York conv-spondent of the Times, writing on August 8, =ays :— "The excitement among all classes except the negroes, who aie not affected by the consciiption, has been hard to hear at any time, and especially in the dog-dnys Among the Irish population the trouble and perplexity have been much greater than among the Americans. The office of the Biitish Consul has been encumbered from morning till night by Celtic multitudes desirous of protection , on the plea that they are still British subject*, who have never renounced their nationality. General Mengiier has been doing hiß utmost by means of really eloquent speeches to reclaim these wandering sheep to th» Hiberno-

American foil, but without any signal success. Hundreds have either gone already or are preparing to go, to Cauad.i, to avoid service in the Federa ! ar.ny. and not on'y Canada, but Australia presents itself to their minds as a preferable abode to the United States under existing circumstances ; and to such .>n ewe.it has tic fe.'ling spreai among them that the few bhipphg offices in this city which havo direct communication with Australia are unable to oif'r even deck accomodation to the numbers of intending passen»eis. The Gernvins are as alct, though not quite so an^rv, &*> the Irish ; and the consular oftuw of sudi Sl.-it'.s of (he German Confederation a- have agents in t,hi.s city aie thronged by people to whom the privilege ot American citizenship has no present charms, and will not, have until the war te conclud -d. But as the conscription is not so much of .1 novelty to the Germans as to the Irish or the Amr ricans, they do not inveiffli against it as unconstitutional or arbitiary. They merely seem to think it unnecessary, and refuse to conform to it, even thou-'h the penalty should bo their voluntary expatriat on to British Ameiica."

The members for the Border Stales have replied to an appeal from the President respecting tho emancipation scheme. Mr Lincoln pr' &sed ' them harl with the argument that nothing hut ilie destruction of slavery in those States cm sap effectually Uio hopes of the Secc-siouists that they will one day join them Tf Kentucky, Tennessee, M.u-vlaiH, and the rest, will bietk that liuk of sympathy between tik-m and the tfouh, the South will despair, and recoil before a united North. The Border members rep'y cautiously. Twenty of them throw cold water on the scheme, but alii that if Congress would really yore the money for buying out the slaves, they would consider of it ; till then the plan remains a mere Congressional sentiment. Seven more Bjrder members assent tnoi-e cordially. One, the member fo'. 1 Tennessee, is enthusiastic in praUe of the Provident, and intimates he would even give up slavery to s-ave fie Union.

We subjVn several extracts from tlie journals and conesiioudeuce of the month, ic'.i ting to the abovementioned and othet incident*: —

Tne Federal lleuf in James River comprises an immense number of vessels. There are nearly o'OO tranM) >rts and w-ir steamers between Newport News an 1 Harrison's liar, besides almo>t innumerable small crj'ft, amons; which are 100 tT 200 canal boats. Tlie guthoats number from 20 to 2-3. From liichmou Iwe learn that Fort Dailiutr had been greatly s-tlength-ened and the batlciei iron-clad, and that a gun-ho.it on the plan of the Memmae had been built by the Confederate 15 . Pre-ident Davis issued the following address to the Confederate a: my of Virginia, after the late severe battles on the Ch ; "kahoiumy : —

To the army in Eastern Virginia —Soldiers, I eontriatulafe ym on tlie series of brilliant victories whi-li, under the favour of Divine Providence, you have lately won : and, as the President of the Conledeiate States, do heartily tender to you the thanks of the country, who.-c just cauie you have so skilfully and heroically served. Ten days a«o an inviding army, vastly tupciicr to you in numbers and in the material of war, closely beleagured your capital, and vauntincly proclaimed its speedy conquest; you matched to attack tlid enemy in. its entrenchmeius ; with well-directed movements and death-defying crdour yiiu charg.-d upon him in his strong positions" drove him from field to field over a distance of more tln.h 35 miles, and, despite his reinforcements, compelled him to seek shelter nndei the cover of his gnnhoats, where he now liis, cowering before the armj so lately dtrided and threatened with entire subjuga-' lion The fortitude w ith which you have borne toil and privation, the gitll.mrry with which y.m have entered into eich successive battle, rau^t haye been witnessed to bs fully appreciated ? but a grattful people will not fail to recoa'u.'-e you and to bear yon in loved remembiauce. Well may ir be said of you that you have " done enough for glory ;" but duty to a suffering country and to the cause of constitutional libortv, claims irom you yet further effort. Let it Le your pride to relax in nothing which can promote your future efficiency, your one grand object beir.g to drive the invader from your soil, and, carrying 1 > our standards beyond the outer boundaries of the Confederacy, to wrin» fiom an unscrupulous foe the recognition of your birthright, community, independence. "" Jeffkkson Davis.

General Lee also congratulated tho army upon having lvlieved Richmond from a state of siege. He claims to have captured 53 pieces of artillery in the late engagement.

The OonfeJeiate army at Richmond is now known to he commanded by General Lee. It is officially reported tlufc the Federal loss in the recent battles before Richmond * f as 16,000 men. Congress adjourned on the 17th July. During the session it has appcopriat d 800,000,000 dollars, ineludintr 500,000,000 dollars for the army, and 100,000.000 for the navy. It has passed the Militia Bill, authorising the President to employ negroes for camp service, or any military or naval service for which they are competent ; also to accept 100 000 volunteers for nine months' service, with 25 dollars bounty, aud one month's advance pay. President Lincoln had signed the Confiscation Bill, with amendments that the provisions of the Bill should not apply to acts of rebels done previously to the passing of the bill, and that the confiscation was to be only during the lifetime of offenders. [This " Confiscation Bill" is a sweeping measure, in which a whole series of bills introduced by different members have heen consolidated. It was passed iv tL>. House of Representatives by a majority of 82 to 44. and by the Senate by a majority of 27 to 13. The New York correspondent of the Times makes the following observations on the funeral effect of this bill :— " It is so severe and vindictive as to justify the supposition thnt the North has at last relinquished all hope of conciliating the Southern, if not the border States, and that it is preparing to deal with the cotton States as William the Conqueror and hi.s barons dealt with Saxon Englind Tlie m -asure has not yet received the signature of the President, and the "representatives of the Border States, most of whom voted in the Minority in both Ilouseo, are understood to bo using their utmost influence to induce him to veto some of the most Dracnic of its provisions. The measure provides that the President shall immediately issue a proclamation offering an i'mnesty to all whVwithin 60 days shall return to their alleffiance. After the expiration of that term, he is empowered to stize the property of all re-els, and confiscate it to the u-e of the government and the array, with the exception of the slaves, who aie to be set free.' The punishment of treason, in addition to confiscation, is to be death, or, at the option of the President, imprisonment for five years, with a fine of 10,000 dollars. No runaway slave is to be delivered to any one claiming to be his owner, unless the latter can prove that he never aided or abetted the rebellion, and is prepared to take the oath of nllegiance. Furthermore, the President is authorised to employ the negroes, and use them for the suppression of the rebellion iv any manner he may deem expedient. It needs but little knowledge of the South to foretell that, should this measure receive the presidential sanction, it will act like oil upon flame, and harden the heart* of the whole people into still fiercer hostility."] The Hon»e of Representatives had postponed the Senate Bill for the admission of Western Virginia until the next session of Congress by a vote of 63 to 53.

> The Confederate States seem to have energetic engineers. They lately built on the Mississippi a new steam ram, called the Arkansas, which, on the Uth i>f July, defied the whole Federal fleet. Fifteen Federal gunboats, mounting 200 guns, were lying just, above Vicksburgh, when the Arkansas steamed down among them, and, though mounting only 12 guns ; at once engaged the whole fleet. From the fh>t it was clear that the contost *as hopeless. " The huae solid shot Hew off the Arkansas like indiarubber balls," aud the captain of one gunboat, the Carandelet, therefore tried to board. The boarders poured into the Arkansas, "but not a man or a passage way could be found, and they returned unhurt. Sne ran the cpumtlet of the whole fleet, 11-inch shot in one instance rebounding harmlessly from her s-ides, and anchored safely under the batteries of Vieksburg, having inflicted a los 3of 123 in killed, wounded, and " missing "

We have, stated above that the siege of Vicksburg has recently been raised by the Federals. One of tlie latest despatches from New York informs us that the Arkansas has s'-ared the fate of the Merrimpc and been blown up by the Confederates. It appears that, in attempting to run down the Mississippi from Vicsbnrgr, past Baton Rouge, she was attacked by the Federal flotilla. She suffered considerable damage in her machinery and was obliged to run ashore. To save her from capture she was blown up and abandoned by her officers. The discovery of a plot at St. Louis, in Missouri, to seize the city and deliver it to the Confederates has induced the governor to call out the Militia of the State. Large numbers of Irish, long settled in the city, have refused to obey the rail, on the plea that they are British subjects, and have claimed the protection of the British Consul.