Following the American Civil War Sesquicentennial with day by day writings of the time, currently 1863.

August 2.—A woman named Belle Boyd, who had been acting as a rebel spy and mail-carrier to Richmond, from points within the lines of the Union army of the Potomac, was captured near Warrenton, Va., and sent to the old Capitol prison at Washington.—Gen. Butler transmitted to the Secretary of War copies of a correspondence between himself and Gen. Phelps, in relation to the military employment of the negroes of Louisiana.

—This morning at daylight a band of one hundred and twenty-five rebels attacked seventy-five National troops at Ozark, Mo. The commander of the troops, Capt. Birch, having been apprised of the meditated attack, abandoned his camp and withdrew into the brush. Soon afterward the rebel commander called on him to surrender, but received a volley of musket-balls for a reply. Upon this the rebels fled, leaving most of their arms, their muster-rolls, and correspondence.— (Doc. 167.)

—The bark Harriet Ralli, the first French vessel captured since the commencement of the rebellion, arrived at New-York, from New-Orleans, where she was seized by Gen. Butler a short time after the city was occupied by the National forces. —Large war meetings were held at Lancaster, Pa., and Pittsfield, Mass. At the latter a bounty of ten thousand two hundred dollars was voted.

—The Norfolk, Va., Union newspaper was this day suppressed, for publishing a burlesque proclamation, calculated to bring Commodore Goldsborough into ridicule.

—A sharp fight took place at Orange Court-House, Va., between a reconnoitring party of Union troops, under the command of Gen. Crawford, and a force of rebels, resulting in the flight of the latter. The Unionists had four men killed and twelve wounded.—(Doc. 168.)

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