THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

Otago Witness, Issue 653, 4 June 1864, Page 6

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

The following are the particulars contained in the Californian papers to the 24th March, received via Sydney. The more striking items have already been noticed in our issue of Saturday :— • Chicago, 24th March-

The third resolution adopted by the Democratic State Convention at Columbus is as follows :— " That we are opposed to the prosecution of tbe war for the subjugation of the States, or for the purpose of divesting them of their sovereignty, or infringing or impairing their rights; and being satisfied that its continued prosecution for such objects will, in the end, prove the utter destruction ,of our civil liberty, we therefore demand an immediate inauguration •f peaceable means to attain a favourable settlement and restoration of tbe union under the Constitution."

New Yobk, 24th March. ■ Bpscial despatches say that the House A 1 aval Committee are preparing a Bill for building four •cean iron-clad cruisers, the cost of which will fee 5,0!iO,000 dollars or 7,000,000 dollars each. The Way* and Means Committee struck out the appropriation for them, on the ground that it woula take two years to complete them, and further that the fnaval service does not require this class of vessels. A majority of the Naval Committee are said to be opposed to the Bill, but will aliow it t> be reported to the House for action.

Cairo, 24th March Advices from below are to the effect that the leet reached Atchafalaya on the 14th, where General Smiths force disembarked to operate agaiiut Fort Derussy, where D:ck Taylor was encamped With 11,000 men. So soon as Taylor heard of Smith's landing he marched to his rear to attack him Skirmishing commenced on Smith's left flank before he was aware of the •xact whereabouts of the enemy. Discovering T«ylort design, General Smith's army, instead of attempting to keep open its communication with the river, proceeded by forced marches towards the Fort, reaching it three hours before vv A fIOTf IOT same up. A charge on the works was immediately made, and considerable fighting occurred, w which tbe Federal loss was about 40 killed and wounded. The fort was taken with 213 prisoners and 11 guns. The fleet in the meantime steamed up the Red River, anl at the latest dates w-sat Alexandria.

.BOBTOH, 23rd March. The great monitor Monadoo was launched today.

New York, 23rd March. A Portress Monroe letter reports that an expeditiou under Oeneral Graham bas gone to c ear rat a nest of guerillas in Matthes ana Gloucester ftounties. So far hs heard from, the expedition had met with the greatest mcceea. The " World's" speoial despatch says : -Preparations for the orojpcted expeditions of flenerals Burnsida and Hancock have been .directed to cease by General Grant, and both *ommanda will be placed in position to actively co-operate with the army of the Potomac. Haneeck has already returned to his command. Caibo, 23rd March. The Memphis " Bulletin" says :— The fight •a the 16th, twelve miles east of Fort Pillow, was betweea sixty Federals and a hundred rebels, resulting in the complete rout of the latter, one■ilf being either killed or wounded. Our loss was only one killed.

Knoitillb, 23rd March. There are no hostile demonstrations at the front. Xonsrstreet is reported to be preparing for a visit to his friends in Kentucky. New York, 22ad March. A special despatch to the v World," dated .Waabingtou, the 2lst says:— General Grant will be here in the morning. On Thursday he reviews the entice army of the Potomac In the re-organisation to be effected, it is learned correotly that Hancock, Bedgwick, and Warren will |c retained as corps commanders ; that General Jffeade retains his present position, General (Jraat exercising a superior control of the entire army.

Jt has been ascertained from official soorces mat the effective army of the United States now m the field exoeeds by 200 010 the entire force a year ago. It ia 6tated, by authority, that GeneMil Grant will take command of the Army of the rrtomae in per«oa.

C'HiOAao, 2lst March. On the Bubjeot of the expedition heretofore referred to, the publication of the despatches of *c St Louis " Republican" will do no harm. %ey state that a force of about ten thousand men, **d a fleet of gunboats, left Vick*burK on the Itth for a Southern destination. Though there ia no positive intormitioa as to the immeaiate •fcjective point of the expedition, current evi)|«ne«3 indicate Shrieveport with some precision. :> Baxhmorh, 20th March. A company of roving guerillas made a dash teto Morgan county, Ya., on Friday, and captared a Union League, which was in session at *c time, and two representatives of the first Urginia Legislature. After robbing a large Monber of atisens, the rebela decamped with the thunder and prisoners. There are bnt few rebels it the valley. This is the first instance for weeks nat they hare committed any depredations. Iteties from the upper valley report ihat all the firicughed rebel soldiers had been called back to •ia their regiment* in Lee's army. Nbw Yobk, 20th March. The " Times" special despatoh says that the excitement in regard to tbe threatened raid by. Stuart has subsided* A detachment of the ftktmj crossed the Rappabannock at Fredericksbttrg on Wednesday night. The following day, Utt 18th Pennsylvania Cava-ry captured twenty of them. On Friday morning another detach* Meat erased at Morton's Ford, and drove in the I*b Michigan, but were subsequently repulsed and forced across the river, istuart is said to be nasaingJus cavalry at Charlofcteaville, where fee has three brigade*, and two at Fredericksfewi.

B*. Lours, 10th March. BT atehec advices of the 12tfe say that General Eattle has been assigned to the command of that iMBt. About 600 of our prisoner*! are still near Bfcrieveport, Alabama. They comprise the «n of tbe gunboats eaptvtd at Sablne Pass sad PorUau, and General Davis** command captmed by. Morgan, About 100 escaped in the Istfcw part of Ftbrmaiy, twelve »f whom have •mred hen. (*ueritti» haw* sgasft appeared at Labi P.ovi-

dence, and are committing shocking barbarities on the negroes and Union people. Washington, 20th March. Parties in from the front report that a rebel advance bem* anticipated yesterJay, marching orders were is«ued to nearly all our commands. After all was in readiness to move, the order was countermanded, and thing* settled down in the usual order. Firing was heard in the direction of Dumfries this morning. It is thought that some skirmishing was going on there. New Orleans, 19fch March.

Considerable activity prevails in military affnirs here, Genrral Banks is on the eve of departure for Western Louisiana. His objective point is Alexandria The fleet of Porter' 3 gunboats has already started for that place. It is expected that rather formidable works of defence will be encountered by tbe ironclads, between the moufch of Red River and Alexandria.

Madisonville, on Lake Ponchartrain, opposite New Orleans, his been evacuated. Extensive fortifications, thrown up on tbe land aide, were left intact, but add nothing to the strength of the place for the rebels, a^ it i< nasily approached by water. General Grave's whole force Ins been ordered to concentrate at Baton itouge. New York, 19th March.

A Washington special despatch says :— The steamer Ellen Terry, from Newberu, has arrived Two of cur prisoners were frozen to death on the way from Richmond to Americus, Ga , and thirtyone escaped fmm the cars. The hanging of fiftyone Union suldiers at Kinston, and the reported haneing of several companies of the 2nd North Carolina Regiment (white), have given a start to the enlistment of cocseripcs and deserters, who are eager to avenge these atrocities, The Newbern " Times " urges tbe sending: of 50,000 troops to North Carolina, and sa>s that Newbern is impregnable ; but that the time willcome when the Federal army shall penetrate the interior, carrying the banner of social and political emancipation.

CiNCiHNiTI, 19th March.

A despatch from Columbus says that all the veteran regiments in Ohio belonging to the department of the Bouth have been ordered to the army of the Potomac

A Chattanooga despatch says the rebels are in large force in front, but make no demonstrations.

Thirty-five Federals escaped from the Columbus (S.C.) prison on Wednesday. A despatch frou Meridian, Mississippi, says that Sherman had gone down the Mississippi with troops, evidently destined for the hed River.

Breckinridge takes command of South Western Virginia.

General Price has issued an order, dated Longwood, Arkansas, the 3rd, resuming command of the rebel Department of Arkansas. New York, 18th March. The " World's" Washington despatch has a report that Stuart, with 6000 cavalry, had eros ed the Rappahanuock near Frederickaburg. Our army is well in hand, ready for raids or a general movement on the part of the enemy. It v thought that the rebel cavalry will make » demonstration towards the Baltimore and Ohio railroad.

A special despatch to the " Tribune," from Washington, says that Stuart has not crossed at Fredericksburg with 5000 men. A letter from Headquarters, under this morning's date, has the following :•— By reason of reporta that Stuart is concentrating large bodies of cavalry at Predericksburg, preparatory to a monster raid, one of the Cavalry Corps has been placed under orders to move at a moments notice. The wildest rumours are in circulation regarding his movements. Rumour at Warrenton Junction says he bivouacked last night a few miles south of that place j but nothing confirma-tory-had been recaived when the mail train passed that place this morning. The enemy is strengthening his pickets along the Rapidan; also, has erected new works, and made more formidable those works opposite the several fords.

Chattastkoga. March 17. Cheathsm'B division, composed mostly of Tennesseeans, is reported to have g^ne to Dalton, and been replaced by troops from Polk's command.

During a recent reconnaissance, the rebels, supposing a general attack about to be made on Dalton, sent all their baggage and stores to hosuca.

S.OOO Georgia troops, employed on duty at the Etowah Iron Works, have recently been incorporated with the -rebel army. Considerable excitement prevailed throughout Georgia on ac count of Governor Brown's message, The rebel papers are discussing it with much violence. The rebel papers are loud in their praise of the recent speeohe< of Governor Vance, in the North Carolina Convention.

Washington, March 17. A New York despatch confirms the report that Stuart is crossing the Bappahannock, and says that Kilpatrick and Morrill are on hia track.

**«_*«_ « Nlw YoBK » Mwch 17 - At Norfolk, Virginia, the General Assembly has issued an address to the people of Virginia, stating that submission to the enemy, who has exhausted every infamy, ia not endurable. Even though urging their renewed efforts to viotory, the story of Kilpatrick'a raid is told well a" an incentive to exertions. One more resolute effort and, it wys, the day is ours.

lonrsviLLH, 17th March. Guemllaa attacked a freight train from Nashville, near Estelle Springs, on the night of the loth. After displacing the rail, by which the train was thrown from the track, they burned the train. The rebels killed three negroes in the train. Two guerrillas were killed. No other lo».

Pobtland, 17th March. The Dalles "Mountaineer" of the 11th, just received, says that Francis Ely, convicted of de sertiou, was ehot, in accordance with sentence, oa Friday last, at Walla Walla. The paper saya, what palliated Ely's offence was the fact that he waft under the command of a drunken, faithless officer, from whoa he tried to esfcpe. The officer ifas nnae resigned.

Njiw Yom, 17th March. "Herald 1 oorrespondeat from the fleet off Mobile has a rumour that Parragut is to with draw hialeet, bring satisfied that the oity cannot betaken by wtter, Thirty or forty rebels, who mutinied in Fort Morgan, have been shot. A New Orleans letter stat* that Porter's entire fleet of ironoUd* is at the mouth of Bed rivgr. Thirty transport* loaded with troops an also there. General Bank's staff would take the n»H on the 10th, and the army oomma&ce im« mediate opwaKocs.

The "Herald's" Western Virginia despatoh states that there is a rumor that the whole of Ewell's corps is moving into the valley 01 the Shenanloah, probably for subsistence The '"limes'" despatch from Washington of the 16th save, that 600 of our prisoners died at Kichmond in February. The order relieving Gtneral Meade and appointing bi3 successor will be issued in a few dajs.

Fortress Monroe, 16th March. A blockade runnei, name unknown, escaped from Wilmington on the night of the 12th. The blockaders gave chase, but failed to overtake her. She threw 420 bales cotton overboard.

Washington, 16th March. A special to the tf Post " says the new call for troops accords with the plans for the military campaign which is laid out by General Grant. It is understood that ha asks for largß armies^if tbe country expect" him to close the war within the present year.

General Gilnnr»'s chief of stag states that the lower part of Charleston is nearly destroyed, and that only the upper part is now occupied by troops.

The rebels are state 1 to have a large force in North Carolina, distributed along the railroad from Petersburg to New Wilmington. Longstreet, it is said, will be appointed to the command of Southern Virginia, Kirby Smith to take hia place in East Tennessee.

Boston, 18th March. The British prize steamer Mary Ann, from Washington to Nassau, with a cargo of cotton, bas arrived here. She was captured by the cunboat Graad Gulf.

St. Louis, 18th March. The capture of Jacksonport, Arkansas, by the rebels, is reported. They drove out two companies of the 4th Missouri cavalry, and came near capturing the vStearaer Dave. It is also reporte i that Qaantrell is preparing to make & raid into Missouri in the spring.

Cairo, 18th March. Several persons were arrested a few days since below Hickman, Ky., for having organised themselves into companies for the avowed purpose of entering the rebel service. A number or rebel sympathisers have recently been actively recruiting in that vicinity for the rebel army. Guerrilla bands are being formed by the olHzens in several of the towns and counties of Kentucky, for the purpose ot interrupting the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi River. The estimated force of the enemy in the recent fight at Yazoo City is 6000, with feur pieces of artillery. Two sternwheel steamboats were there, but could render no service without endangering our forcei. The Bth Louisiana (colored) lost eighty killed, wounded and missing. The Ist Mississippi cavalry lost fifty, and the 10th about twenty five men. Nine out of eighteen officers of the Bth Louisiana were wounde.d I