Further from the North.
We take the extracts below from our Northern papers of the 28th.
Secretary Seward has prohibited private letters being sent to the
United States Consuls abroad, and says they must be opened and read at the State Department.
The reason of this order is that ‘"the privilege has been abused for disloyal purposes."’
Alleged Yankee victory over Gen. Hindman.
The following is an official dispatch published in the
Northern papers:
Our arms are entirely successful again in
Northwest Arkansas.
Gen. Schofield, finding the enemy had camped at Plea Ridge, sent
Gen. Blunt with the first division westward, and moved towards
Huntsville with the rest of his force.
General Blunt, by making a hard night's a arch, reached and attacked the rebel force at
Maysville, near the northwest corner of
Arkansas, at 7 o'clock A. M. on the 22d inst.
The enemy was under cover, and estimated at some 5,000 to 7,000 strong.
The engagement lasted about an hour, and resulted in the entire rout of the enemy, with the loss of all his artillery — a battery of 6-pounders — a large number of horses, and a portion of their transportation and camp and garrison equipage.
Our cavalry and light howitzers were still in pursuit of the scattered forces when the messenger left.
Our loss was small.
General Schofield pursued
General Hindman beyond
Huntsville, coming close upon him. The enemy fled precipitately beyond the
Boston Mountain.
All the organized rebel forces of the
West have thus been driven back to the valley of the
Arkansas river, and the army of the frontier have gallantly and successfully accomplished its mission.
What Bragg lost and what the Yankees gained.
The Louisville correspondent of the New York
Tribune, who has just returned from an unsuccessful effort to find
Bragg, thus sums up the result of
Bragg's invasion of
Kentucky.
It is now positively ascertained that
Bragg fought at
Perryville, and afterward fell back to
Camp Dick Robinson, in order to give
Kirby Smith time to join him from
Frankfort.
The latter movement took him thirty miles out of the way of his direct line of retreat, and would have placed him at the mercy of
Gen. Buell had he promptly occupied the various routes through
Southern Kentucky.
The precise direction in which
Bragg turned, after reaching
London, is not trustworthily known.
The report that be will make for
Nashville is based upon -ere presumption.
The pursuit was continued to
Rockcastle river by
Crittenden's corps, but since yesterday a week ago, all the corps have been lying idle between
Crab Orchard and
Mount Vernon.
The retrograde movement from the former place commenced on Tuesday last.
It is presumed that they will be ordered to make forced marches for
Nashville, after receiving their much-needed baggage at
Lebanon.
Of trophies,
Gen. Buell has hardly any to boast of. Not a single wagon was captured during the apparent pursuit.
The rebel sick and wounded, and a few hundred stragglers, numbering in all not over 1,800, together with 400 barrels of pork and 2,000 bushels of wheat, found at Camp Robinson, representing the total of our captures.
The last successful foray of
Morgan upon our army train between
Bardstown and
Louisville has still more intensified the exasperation of the army of
Gen. Buell.
His inability to protect his present short lines of communication with his bass furnish but another proof of his disgraceful incompetency.
Those that have heretofore styled the
battle of Perryville, or Chapton Heights, as
Gen. McCook baptized it, a Union success, are endly mistaken.
It was a terrible and wholly fruitless wastes of life and property.
Official returns from all the divisions engaged show an aggregate loss of 820 killed, 2,525 wounded, and nearly 500 missing and prisoners.
The enemy captured 11 guns during the battle.
The rebel condition upon their retreat on Thursday morning, excepting two
Napoleon guns, in place of which they left two smooth-bore 6-pounders.
After a careful investigation, I have become satisfied that the rebel loss does not exceed two- third hours.
Between 600 and 700 of their dead was buried by us, and about 1,300 wounded remained on our hands.
We took no prisoners during the battle.
A Washington correspondent says the removal of
Gen. Buell has caused general rejoicing, and adds:
‘
Perhaps
Buell's reinstatement, after the deserved order for his removal went forth a few weeks ago, was necessary in order to convince even
Kentucky that the game he played was not the game of war. Now, as we are assured both by natives of the
State hitherto favorable to him, who have just arrived here, and by army correspondents fresh from
Louisville, Kentucky, whose influence for a moment overbore
Ohio and
Indiana, is converted from the of her ways, and joins his soldiers, whom be has led everywhere but to battle, in begging that
Buell be superseded by somebody who knows how to bring the enemy to a fight and to beat him. That
General Rosecrans, who succeeds
Gen. Buell, in such a man, no one need be told.
His victory at
Corinth proved to the popular apprehension what was known in the army before, that he possesses these qualities which conduce to success in the field.
’
The question of recognition at Washington.
A Washington telegram asserts that the declaration of
Mr. Gladstone that the
Confederates are a nation, does not produce the belief there that
England is about to recognize them.
But even should she recognize them, the writer says:
‘
It is not believed that it would, even if
France joined
England in making it, seriously affect our power to crush the rebellion, if the purpose to do so be the stern resolve of our civil and military leaders.
Recognition by
England will not itself add a feather's weight to the material and moral aid and comfort which the rebels are to-day receiving from
Great Britain.
It will only be a rechristening of the rebels as belligerents, a character from which they already draw numerous great advantages.
The blockade must still be respected, even by those who give treason the seal of nationality.
If the rebels, after being recognized, should ask the good offices of the recognizing powers as mediators, we should spurn their interference, and if they attempted to enforce it by arms they would learn that
America is a great nation, and does not resemble the sick man of the
East.
Moreover, the fact that
Russia and other great
European powers would oppose, as there is great reason to believe that they would do, such intervention, renders it certain that it would light the flames of
European war which might eventually cost the great man his easy chair of state.
Such are some of the speculations which
Gladstone's reported speech calls forth in diplomatic circles here.
’
The second Convention of the Altoona Governors.
The New York
Herald has a Cincinnati dispatch stating that the
Governors of
Iowa,
Michigan,
Illinois, and
Indiana, have gone to
Washington to attend a Gubernatorial Conference, and will probably remain over Sunday at
Harrisburg and thence proceed to
Washington with
Governor Curtin.
In addition to propositions to be submitted to the
Convention demanding a change in the commands of the
Eastern and Western armies in the field, the vigorous prosecution of the war, and a change in the treatment of the rebels, I have it that propositions have been received at
Washington from leading Southern men suggesting the holding of a National Convention of representatives from all parts of the
Union to consider the feasibility of setting the present difficulty.
It is understood that the
South propose as a basis of settlement: First--That the
North shall recognize State-Rights doctrine of secession, which they claim to be found in the Resolutions of 1798 and '99 by
Jefferson and
Madison.
Second--The
North to return fugitives from labor or pay their value to the owners.
It is also understood that they will accept the
Crittenden Compromise as the basis of a settlement relating to slavery in Territories.
If the
Governors do not sanction the holding of such Convention, then they are to unite in demanding of the
President a vigorous prosecution of the war.
The failure to supply M'Clellan's army — Deserters in Washington.
A letter from
Washington, dated the 27th, says political causes have reduced
McClellan's army to its present necessity, and besides that,
Stonewall Jackson has aided it by ‘"depredating"’ on its stores.
It adds:
‘
If, in the nature of the case, the requisitions were hurriedly made, upon the most exigent view of things, so their execution by the
Army Bureau here could not be effected in a day, because no foresight could have calculated upon our immense loss of stores by the two movements of
Stonewall Jackson in flank and rear of
General Pope's army.
Moreover, the
Quartermaster's,
Commissary's, Medical, and Ordnance Departments, had been forced to cut down the quantities of arms, munitions, clothing, and provisions, on many account, by reason of the legislation of Congress reducing suddenly our army to three or four hundred thousand effective men.
It follows, then, that no blame attaches to the
Army Bureau, because that at the close of the rapid marching and fighting in
Maryland everything needful to the worn and torn soldiery could not be accumulated at
Sharpsburg in a day.
General Meredith, of
Indiana, stated yesterday in the city that the army were just getting needed supplies, and it is perhaps creditable to our Army Bureau here that things are in good working order.
That there has been any hitch in this respect is attributable entirely to the machinations of fanatical politicians last winter, who, fearing that the war would not be sufficiently protracted to destroy slavery, caused our own army to be reduced just when the rebels were increasing theirs by conscription.
As it is stated by Northern papers that thousands of officers are away from the army on leave, it may also be added as true that the country about this city is yet filled with deserters from
General Pope's army.
Thousands have been got together and sent to join
McClellan's column, but there are other thousands yet to go.
’
The Draft in Maryland--the Substitute Business.
The Baltimore
American, of the 27th, notices the arrival of a large number of drafted men at
Easton, Md., guarded by the
Federal cavalry.
It says:
‘
The business of procuring substitutes appears to be an increasing one, a larger number than previously of persons in this city engaging in it, and even some from other States through agents.
In the counties of this State wherein the draft took place on the 15th, there were 2,650 persons, 900 of them from the Eastern Shore drafted, out of which number it is safe to estimate that 800 are seeking substitutes.
Whether they will be enabled to secure them is a question that will be determined in a week's time.
The rates paid range from $300 to $600, though there are those who demand more.
As in
Chestertown, four men advertise that they are willing to go for $1,000 each.
There is considerable manœuvering requisite on the part of the agents, after making the bargain with the substitutes, to secure them against the temptation offered by other agents, who give an advanced rate.
It is learned that
Secretary Stanton, on Saturday, in conversation with a gentleman of this city, stated that the drafted men from this State would not be required to go out of the
State.
’
Gov. Andrew, of
Massachusetts, has published a letter relative to the doings of the
Convention of Governors, in which he says:
‘
I did not, either formally or informally, directly or indirectly, at any time,
move or suggest that the
Governors should interfere with the position of
Major Gen. McClellan, or of any other officers of the army or navy.
Nor do I believe that any such motion was proposed by any one else.
I heard none whatever concerning that or any other General. But if you ask how so great a blunder has been made, I can only reply, that when people seek to make a point against their neighbors by a sort of eaves dropping, by attempting to penetrate the private conversation of gentlemen, and to betray their confidential speech, great blundering, if not something worse, will always be close at hand.
They will usually contrive to report just what they hoped to hear.
’
