June 16.—The troops to operate against the Sioux moved from their rendezvous at Camp Pope, under command of General Sibley. The force numbered fully three thousand men, all recruited in Minnesota, and more or less accustomed to frontier life. A pontoon train accompanied it; also three hundred wagons and several hundred head of beef cattle.—The Third Massachusetts regiment from Newbern, N. C., returned to Boston, and were received with enthusiasm.—F. H. Pierpont, Governor of West-Virginia, in view of the approach of the rebels, issued a proclamation, calling upon the commandants of the militia, to convene their regiments and companies to be held in readiness to go to the field at a moment’s warning.— Governor Joel Parker, of New Jersey, issued a proclamation, calling upon the citizens of the State to rally for the defence of Pennsylvania.—(Doc. 73.)
—Governor Curtis, of Pennsylvania, made the following appeal:
To the People of Philadelphia:
For nearly a week past it has been publicly known that the rebels in force were about to enter Pennsylvania. On the twelfth instant an urgent call was made on the people to raise a departmental army corps for the defence of the State. Yesterday, under the proclamation of the President, the militia were called out. Today, a new and pressing exhortation has been given to furnish men to repel the invasion.
Philadelphia has not responded—meanwhile the enemy is six miles this side of Chambersburgh, and advancing rapidly.
Our capital is threatened, and we may be disgraced by its fall, while the men who should be driving the outlaws from our soil are quibbling about the possible term of service for six months.
It never was intended to keep them beyond the continuance of the emergency. You all know this by what happened when the militia were called out last autumn. You then trusted your Government and were not deceived. Trust it again now. I will accept men without reference to the six months’ term. If you do not wish to bear the ignominy of shirking from the defence of your State, come forward at once. Close your places of business and apply your hearts to the work. Come in such organizations as you can form. General Couch has appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Ruff to superintend your organizations.
Report to him immediately.
—Brigadier-general Frederick S. Washburn, of the Iowa Ninth infantry, died at his home in Waterloo. Captain Washburn was wounded at Vicksburgh, on the twenty-second of May, and just before he left for home was promoted from Captain to rank of Brigadier-General.
—The rebels under General Lee, in the invasion of Pennsylvania, reached Scotland, a few miles cast of Chambersburgh. At Harrisburgh the excitement was intense. A correspondent at that place, describing the scene, says:
“It is difficult to convey an exact idea of the state of affairs here to-night, not only on account of the confusion existing, but in consequence of the danger of trenching on what may be contraband ground. During the morning a perfect panic prevailed, extending to all classes of people, and resulting in the grandest demand for railroad tickets ever witnessed in this city. The enemy were supposed to be just over the river, or, at any rate, at Carlisle, and every woman in the place seemed anxious to leave for safer regions. Trunks ‘were piled up at the depots six feet in height, for nearly a square, and hundreds if not thousands of people eagerly waited the hour of the departure of the various trains.
“In the mean while, the State Capitol had been completely denuded of every thing of value, from the portraits of the governors to the books in the library. The books, papers, paintings, and other valuables were packed in freight-cars, and made ready for instant departure in case of decided signs of danger to the city.
“Measures were taken yesterday to rouse the people to the danger at hand, and during to-day about one thousand persons were earnestly at work on the other side of the Susquehanna, throwing up a bastioned redoubt, for the protection of Harrisburgh. The work was kept up all day, and far into the evening, and late to-night we saw files of laborers returning from their unwonted toil.
“There were but few regular soldiers in town to-day, the principal display being made by three companies of invalids from the military hospitals at York. They arrived during the afternoon, and when drawn up on Third street, they looked as if there was considerable fight in them yet
“During the entire afternoon, Market street was occupied with army wagons from Milroy’s division, which rumbled across the old bridge, and from thence past the railroad depot and out to a camp ground on the other side of the canal. These wagons were mostly drawn by four horses, though there were some mule-teams among them. Dust was the prevailing feature of the vehicles, from the cars of the horses to the hat-rims of the teamsters. Some of the wngons were filled with hay and some with tents, while from many peeped the black faces, grinning mouths and white teeth of contrabands, large and small, of both sexes. For several hours this wagon-train completely filled Market street, giving the spectators a far better idea of the dust, turmoil, and fatigue of war than they could get in any other way.”
—Jefferson Davis, at Richmond, Va., called upon the States of the “Confederacy” to furnish troops for home defence, in order to replace those, who were then, under the command of General Lee, invading the North.—Littlestown, eleven miles from Gettysburgh, Pa., was occupied by rebel cavalry.—Rebel salt-works, in Princess Ann County, Va., were destroyed by Major Murray, having under his command one hundred men, belonging to the One Hundred and Forty-eighth regiment of New-York volunteers. — (Doc. 72.)
—Governor A. W. Bradford, of Maryland, issued a proclamation calling upon the citizens of Baltimore and people of Maryland to rally to defend their soil from invasion.
As there was no organized militia force in the State, he announced that he would fall back upon the recent enrolment for the draft; but he hoped there is patriotism sufficient among the people to raise the force needed from voluntary enlistments.
—A fight occurred in Fleming County, Ky., between the Fifteenth regiment of Michigan volunteers and a superior force of the rebels, which resulted in the repulse of the latter with a heavy loss. The National casualties were fifteen killed and thirty wounded.
—Yesterday, in latitude twelve degrees north, longitude thirty degrees, the rebel privateer Florida captured the ship B. F. Hoxie, of Mystic, Ct., from Mazatlan for Falmouth, England, with a cargo of logwood, silver bars and thirty tons of silver ore; the bars were valued at five hundred thousand dollars, and the ore at a similar amount .The bars were conveyed on board the Florida, and the ore was sunk in the ship to-day.
—Harper’s Ferry, Va., was invested by the rebels, while the National troops held Maryland Heights in large force.—The Councils of Baltimore, Md., appropriated four hundred thousand dollars for bounties.—Colonel De Courcey, with parts of the Tenth and Fourteenth Kentucky, and Seventh and Ninth Michigan cavalry, cut off at Triplett’s Bridge, Ky., the body of rebel cavalry that made the attack on Maysville, and after a severe fight routed them, killing and wounding a large number and taking over one hundred prisoners, including one captain and two lieutenants.— (Doc. 16.)
