September 1.—A severe fight took place at Britton’s Lane, near Denmark, Tenn., between a force of Union troops, numbering about eight hundred men, under the command of Col. Dennis, Thirtieth Illinois, and a large body of rebels, under General Armstrong, resulting, after an engagement of four hours’ duration, in the retreat of the rebels, who left one hundred and seventy-nine of their dead on the field. The total rebel loss in this affair was over four hundred, that of the Nationals was only sixty.—(Doc. 198.)
—The New-York Tribune’s report of the second battle of Bull Run produced the greatest excitement in Philadelphia, Pa., on being posted on the bulletin-boards. In some cases altercations occurred between the excited friends and opponents of Gen. McClellan. About noon the Tribunes despatches were torn from the boards on information being received that the Government had ordered the Tribune office to be closed.— Charles J. Ingersoll was discharged from arrest by order of Secretary Stanton.—The One Hundred and Twenty-second regiment N.Y.S.V. left Syracuse for the seat of war. It was commanded by Colonel Silas Titus.—Paris, Ky., was evacuated by the National troops, who fell back on Cynthiana.
—Great excitement existed in Louisville, Ky., in consequence of the approach of the rebel army under Gen. E. Kirby Smith. The Governor of the State issued a proclamation authorizing Col. Gibson to organize and bring into the field all the able-bodied men in the county of Jefferson and city of Louisville, and the Mayor called upon the citizens to come forward and enroll themselves for the immediate defence of their city. The public archives were removed from Frankfort to Louisville, and the Legislature adjourned to the same place.
—Lexington, Ky., was entered and occupied by the rebel forces under Gen. E. Kirby Smith. The Union troops evacuated the place a few hours previous, and fell back to Covington.—Natchez, Miss., was shelled by the Union gunboats.
—Yesterday the rebels commenced an attack upon the National forces at Stevenson, Ala., which continued until to-day, when the rebels retired with a severe loss. The fight was brought on by the National forces, which had just evacuated Huntsville, and were on their way to Nashville, Tenn. The batteries engaged were Simonton’s Ohio and one section of Loomis’s Michigan regiments. They were supported by the Tenth Wisconsin and Thirteenth Michigan regiments.—Cincinnati Times, September 6.
—A severe engagement took place at Chantilly, near Fairfax Court-House, Va., between the Union army under Gen. Pope, and the rebel forces under Generals Jackson, Ewell and Hill. The battle lasted for nearly an hour, the rebels being driven back at all points with great loss. Among the killed on the side of the Nationals, were Major-Gen. Kearny and Brig.-Gen. Stevens.—(Docs. 104 and 200.)
—The Secretary of the Navy officially promulgated the section of the law concerning the navy, which stopped the spirit ration of the sailors, and gave notice that it would be rigidly enforced. The section reads as follows:
“Section 4. And be it further enacted. That from and after the first day of September, 1862, the spirit ration in the navy of the United States shall forever cease, and thereafter no distilled spirituous liquors shall be admitted on board vessels of war except as medical stores, and upon the order and under the control of the medical officers of such vessels, and to be used only for medical purposes. From and after the said first day of September next there shall be allowed and paid to each person in the navy now entitled to the spirit ration five cents per day in commutation and lieu thereof, which shall be in addition to the present pay.”
—Poindexter, the notorious leader of guerrilla bands in Missouri, was caught twenty miles from Hudson, Mo., on the Hannibal and Missouri Railroad.
