April 2012

April 3. —Albert Sidney Johnston, Major-General C.S.A., at Corinth, Miss., issued the following address:

“Soldiers of The Army of the Mississippi: I have put you in motion to offer battle to the invaders of your country, with the resolution and discipline and valor becoming men, fighting, as you are, for all worth living or dying for. You can but march to a decisive victory over agrarian mercenaries sent to subjugate and despoil you of your liberties, property and honor.

“Remember the precious stake involved, remember the dependence of your mothers, your wives, your sisters, and your children, on the result Remember the fair, broad, abounding lands, the happy homes, that will be desolated by your defeat. The eyes and hopes of eight million people rest upon you. You are expected to show yourselves worthy of your valor and courage, worthy of the women of the South, whose noble devotion in this war has never been exceeded in any time. With such incentives to brave deeds, and with the trust that God is with us, your general will lead you confidently to the combat, assured of success.”

Accompanying this address were general orders, dividing “the Army of the Mississippi” into three corps d’armee. Gen. Beauregard was proclaimed second in command of the whole force.

The first corps d’armee was assigned to Gen. Polk, and embraced all the troops of his former command, less detached cavalry and artillery and reserves, detached for the defence of Fort Pillow and Madrid Bend.

The second corps d’armee was assigned to Gen. Bragg, and was to consist of the Second division of the Army of the Mississippi, less artillery and cavalry hereafter detached.

The third corps d’armee was assigned to Gen. Hardee, and consisted of “the Army of Kentucky.” Gen. Crittenden was assigned a command of reserves, to consist of not less than two brigades.

— The United States Senate, by a vote of twenty-nine to fourteen, passed the bill abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia.

—The telegraph line was to-day discovered to be cut in a dozen places, between New-Madrid and Sykeston, Mo. Gen. Pope immediately issued a special order to the residents along the route, that he would hold them responsible for the safety of the telegraph line, and that if any damage was done to it near their houses and farms, he would have their houses burned and themselves and families arrested and brought to camp, and visited with the severest punishment

—Apalachicola, Fla., surrendered to a party of National seamen, of the gunboats Mercedita and Sagamore, under the command of Commander Stellwagen, without making any resistance. It was almost entirely deserted by the male population, its fort or sand battery dismantled, and the guns removed. Two schooners were captured in Alligator Bayou, near the town, and then the launch of the Sagamore, under charge of Lieut. Bigelow, with the second cutter, under charge of Acting Master Fales, proceeded up Apalachicola River, about seven miles, where they found several vessels lying at anchor, and captured them. One was a large schooner, partially laden with cotton, which was cut out from the wharf and towed down the river by the crew of the Sagamore’s launch. She had forty bales of cotton on board. A sloop was captured, which had recently arrived from Havana, with a load of coffee, running the blockade. She had also cleared again for Havana. Great efforts were made by Lieutenant Bigelow, Acting Master Fales and Engineer Snyder, to get four other captured schooners down the river. The officers and the crews worked long and laboriously, during many hours, to get the schooners free, but without avail. They were finally obiged to apply the torch to them, which they did so effectually as to make them a mass of flames, burning them to the water’s edge. They afterward succeeded in capturing two sloops, and then returned down the river.

Commander Stellwagen, of the Mercedita, and Lieut. Commanding A. J. Drake, of the Sagamore, administered the oath of allegiance to a few of the inhabitants, and preparations were made to take formal possession of the town.

—Early this morning the rebels at Island No. Ten, near New-Madrid, Mo., made an attempt to tow their floating battery to a position from which it could command the National mortar-fleet A rapid fire was opened upon it, and in the course of half an hour the battery was struck several times, splinters being thrown in all directions, and several beams displaced. One shell exploded directly inside the battery, when it was immediately submerged to the water’s edge, and towed out of range. The rebel steamer Winchester, which was sunk some time since to obstruct the channel north of Island No. Ten, and used by the rebels as a point from which to watch the movements of the National forces, was shelled to-day and burned to the water’s edge.—St. Louis Republican, April 5.

—This evening a meeting was held in Chicago, Ill., at the instance of the Chicago Laborers’ Association, at which it was resolved that a subscription should be opened throughout the United States for the purpose of procuring a permanent homestead for Major-General Franz SigeL, to be located in the State of Illinois, and that the balance of the fund to be raised, after purchasing the estate, should be paid over to him. A committee was appointed to collect subscriptions, and to organize sub-committees in all proper places. —Boston Transcript, April 8.