March 30.—President Lincoln issued a proclamation designating and setting apart Thursday, the thirtieth day of April, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer.—(Doc. 151.)
—The correspondence between the rebel agent in London, J. M. Mason, and Earl Russell, the British Minister of Foreign Affairs, concerning the questions of the blockade of the Southern ports, and foreign intervention in the affairs of America, was made public.—See Supplement.
—A battle was this day fought near Somerset, Ky., between a National force under General Gillmore, and the rebel army under General Pegram, resulting in a defeat and rout of the latter with great loss.—(Doc. 152.)
—Washington, N. C., garrisoned, by two thousand National troops under the command of General Foster, was attacked this morning by a strong force of rebels under Generals Hill and Pettigrew. The Union pickets and skirmishers were driven in with considerable loss, but the gunboat Commodore Hull opening on the rebels with shell, they were driven back to the hills surrounding the town, where they immediately commenced to fortify themselves.—National Intelligencer.
—Mount Pleasant, Va., was this day captured and plundered by a numerous band of rebel guerrillas under Colonel Jenkins. The town was garrisoned by a company of the Thirteenth Virginia volunteer infantry, under the command of Captain Carter. They intrenched themselves in the court-house, where they were attacked by the rebels, but after a four hours’ contest, in which the rebels had twenty killed, twenty-five wounded, and twenty-seven of their number captured, they hastily retreated from the town, many of them throwing away their booty.—(Doc. 153.)
—General McClernand took possession of the town of Richmond, Miss., with a small force, driving the rebel cavalry from the place after two hours’ sharp fighting.
— The rebel schooner Expeditious was captured in the Savannah River. The vessel was from Nassau, N. P., with a cargo of three hundred and forty sacks of salt, and attempted to run past Fort Pulaski up to Savannah. In the darkness she missed the channel and went into Calibogue Sound, where she was discovered at daylight A detachment of the Forty-eighth regiment was at once put on board the Mattano and despatched to secure her, which they did.
