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

January 25.—A body of rebels six hundred strong, attacked the National garrison of about one hundred, at Athens, Alabama, but were repulsed and routed after a fight of two hours. The Union loss was twenty; rebel loss more severe.—Gen. Rawlins’s Despatch,

—Brigadier-General Graham, by direction of Major-General Butler, went with three armed transports and a competent force, to the Peninsula, made a landing on the James River, seven miles below Fort Powhatan — known as the Brandon Farms, and captured twenty-two of the enemy, seven of the signal corps, and brought away ninety-nine negroes.

They also destroyed twenty-four thousand pounds of pork and large quantities of oats and corn, and captured a sloop and schooner, and two hundred and forty boxes of tobacco, and five Jews preparing to run the blockade, and returned without the loss of a man.—Gen. Butler’s Despatch.(Doc. 57.)

—Corinth, Miss., was evacuated by the National forces, and every thing of value in that section was transported to Memphis, Tenn.—The bombardment of Charleston, South-Carolina, continued. The Courier, published in that city, said: “This is the one hundred and ninety-fourth day of the siege. The damage being done is extraordinarily small in comparison with the number of shots and weight of metal fired, and that creates general astonishment The whizzing of shells overhead has become a matter of so little interest as to excite scarcely any attention from passers-by. We have heard of no casualties. Some of the shells have exploded, and pieces of the contents been picked up, which, on examination, have been found to be a number of small square slugs, held together by a composition of sulphur, and designed to scatter at the time of explosion.”

—The following special order was issued by General Butler, at Fortress Monroe: “That Mrs. Jennie Graves, of Norfolk, having a husband in the rebel States, and having taken the oath of allegiance on the second instant, as she says, to save her property; and also having declared her sympathies are with the South still, and that she hopes they will be successful, be sent through the lines and landed at City Point, so that she may be where her hopes and sympathies are.” —Major Burroughs, the guerrilla chief, was shot by the guard at Fortress Monroe, Va., while attempting to escape from the pest-house where he was under treatment for the small-pox.— Hospital buildings at Camp Winder, near Richmond, Va., were destroyed by fire.

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