July 4.—The American flag waved in every State of the Union. Since she rebelled, Texas had not been visited by the emblem of freedom, but to-day a party of men from the steamer Rhode Island landed at Galveston and raised the old flag. They were subsequently driven off, but they had accomplished their purpose.
—The anniversary of American independence was celebrated with great enthusiasm in the Northern States. It was not celebrated as usual in Paris, France. There was a meeting of loyal Americans in London, England, but the proceedings were not reported. The London Times, in an editorial, satirized the anniversary, and published a mock “oration” for Americans. At Frankfort-on-the-Main, the day was celebrated in a very appropriate manner at the Forst Haus, aoout two miles from Frankfort, in a beautiful forest.
Consul General Murphy, the President of the day, opened the proceedings with some remarks, after which the Declaration of Independence was read in English by Dr. S. Townsend Brown, of Philadelphia, and afterwards in German by Aug. Glaser. Gen. B. A. Hill, of St. Louis, made some very striking remarks on the causes of the civil war in America, which he said could all be charged to slavery, which was the real cause. He said a great fight was going on to maintain the Union and constitutional liberty, and the God of battles would give the victory to the army of freedom, right, and justice. Being an intimate friend of Mr. Stanton, Secretary of War of the United States, he gave some interesting facts about the army.
After the oration the party, at half-past two o’clock, sat down to a dinner, prepared by the host of the Forst Haus, in the large hall in the grove. The room was elegantly decorated with evergreens and flowers, and a large portrait of Gen. Washington, painted expressly for the occasion. The flags of England, America, and the city of Frankfort waved side by side.
To the toast of “The Union, one and inseparable,” Gen. Hill responded in good style; and to the toast of “The Queen of England,” one of the thirteen regular toasts, Sir Alexander Malet, the representative of her Britannic Majesty, responded. He said there was no cause for ill-feeling between England and America. There was no reason for jealousy. England was proud of her children in America—a people with whom they were associated largely in business, and connected in language and consanguinity. Mother England was as proud of an Irving and a Cooper as were the people of the United States; and he knew America must reverence a country from whom they derived their notions of civil and religious liberty. The good feeling and the attention shown the Prince of Wales on his journey through America would long be remembered and appreciated by the English. His speech elicited much applause.
The English Consul was also at the dinner, as well as Consul Stote, of Manheim, and Mr. Strauss, Consul for the Argentine Republic. The Rev. Dr. McClintock, of Paris, spoke to the toast of “The Clergy.” About one hundred persons sat down to dinner, and there was generally a very pleasant time. To the toast of “The President,” the band, by mistake, played “God Save the Queen,” which made considerable fun at the table. Not understanding English very well was probably the cause of this little mistake. Unfortunately for the London Times and its celebrated prophecy of what would be the manner of the celebration, it happened to be in a very different style. No abuse of England took place in the replies to the toasts. The day was very pleasant, and was the first for the past four weeks that had been fine. The party broke up about six P.M.—London News, July 12.
—General McClellan issued an address to the “Soldiers of the Army of the Potomac,” recapitulating the events through which they had passed during the preceding ten days, and declaring that they should yet enter “the capital of the so-called Confederacy.”—(Doc. 79.)
—A small body of Union troops under command of Lieut.-Col. “Wood, while reconnoitring in the vicinity of the Little Red River, Ark., shelled a rebel camp, putting the rebels to flight, and captured a large quantity of provisions and stores.
—General McClellan, commanding the army of the Potomac, issued an order directing that the day should be celebrated in the army by firing a National salute at noon at the headquarters of each army corps; and that immediately thereafter the bands were to play appropriate National airs.—In the afternoon Gen. McClellan paraded the troops, and made them a few hopeful and encouraging remarks, thanking the men in feeling terms for their uniform bravery, fortitude, and good conduct.
—A large and enthusiastic meeting of the citizens of Springfield, Mass., was held for the purpose of devising means to meet President Lincoln’s call for more troops. Patriotic resolutions were unanimously passed, and speeches were made by Mayor Bemis, George Ashmun, Gen. Devens, M. K. Kum of Missouri, George Walker, Judge Chapman, and others.
—The bombardment of the rebel fortifications at Vicksburgh, by the Union mortar-fleet, was continued during the whole of this day, ceasing at ten o’clock at night.—At Port Royal Ferry, S. C, a skirmish took place between a party of National pickets and a body of rebels, resulting in the defeat of the latter.
—Governors Bradford, of Maryland, and Curtin, of Pennsylvania, issued proclamations calling upon the citizens of their States for their quota of troops, under the call of the President for three hundred thousand men.
—The British schooner Richard O’Brien, laden with medicines and a general cargo, from Jamaica, and bound for Matamoras, Texas, was this day run ashore near San Luis Pass, and captured by the United States steamer Rhode Island, under the command of Captain S. D. Trenchard.
—A skirmish took place near Grand Haze, on the White River, Ark., between a body of rebel guerrillas and the Thirteenth Illinois regiment of Gen. Curtis’s army.—The rebel gunboat Teazer was this day captured in a bend of the James River, Va., by the United States steamer Maratanza.—(Doc. 146.)
