The American Civil War

December 1.—The schooner Albion, of Nassau, N. P., formerly the Lucy E. Waring, of Baltimore, Md., arrived at New York, a prize to the U. S. gunboat Penguin, which captured her while attempting to run the blockade of Charleston. She was laden with arms, ammunition, salt, fruit, provisions, oils, tin, copper, saddles, bridles, and cavalry equipments, and valued at one hundred thousand dollars. On the morning of the 25th nit, she was observed endeavoring to work into the inlet near Edisto Island, and after a chase of three hours was overhauled and captured. The schooner was in command of Captains Christy and Stevens, who admitted that they were residents of Savannah, Ga. They were also part owners of the vessel. The captains and crew were put on board the U. S. steamer Penguin. Master’s mate George N. Hood was put on board the Albion with a prize crew, and ordered to proceed North.

—This morning, a party of Union men from Whitley County, Ky., headed by George W. Lyttle, marched into the town of Huntsville, Tennessee, after having travelled through the night from Williamsburg, Ky., a distance of near fifty miles, and about twenty-five miles into the Southern Confederacy; tore down the flag of rebellion, erected the Stars and Stripes, and captured five rebel troops, and bore them in triumph to Camp Calvert, with a number of good horses and rigging, also some splendid fire-arms, knives, &c[1]

Those composing the little patriotic band, were R. Bird, Speed Faris, Samuel Freeman, J. W. Smith, Clint. Roe, Ples. Jones, Joe Cain, S. C. Cain, Wm. Ellison, Frank and Abel Bryant, G. W. Lyttle, S. Stanfield, Jeremiah Meadors, R. and J. Pemberton, and some others, making between twenty and thirty in number.—Frankfort (Ky.) Commonwealth, Dec. 9.

—A party of Unionists attacked the Confederate pickets at Morristown, East Tennessee, killing a large number of them, and putting the rest to flight.—Memphis Avalanche, Dec. 2.

—Simon Cameron, the Secretary of War, in his report, proposed that the limits of Virginia be so altered, as to make her boundaries consist of the Blue Ridge on the east, and Pennsylvania on the north, leaving those on the south and west as at present. Thus Alleghany and Washington counties, of Maryland, would be transferred to Virginia, while all that portion of Virginia lying between the Blue Ridge and Chesapeake Bay, could be added to Maryland, and that portion of the peninsula between the Chesapeake and the Atlantic, could be incorporated into the States of Delaware.

[1] The Knoxville (Tenn.) Register, Dec. 3, gives the following account of this affair:

This morning a band of Lincolnites from Kentucky, assisted by a number of tories of Scott County, entered the village of Huntsville, Tenn., and seized the persons of John L Smith, John Catlin, Calvin Smith, Sterling Smith, Joe Smith, and five others, whose names we could not procure, and immediately started with them to Kentucky as prisoners of war, at the same time taking about a dozen head of horses. All the gentlemen abducted were quiet, unoffending citizens, belonging to no military organization in the Confederate service. Their only crime was that they were secessionists. John L. Smith is a clerk, and master of the Chancery Court at Huntsville, at least seventy years of age, and is respected by all who know him in the very slightest degree, and the others abducted are equally esteemed. The party from whom we derived this information, Mr. William Anderson, was likewise captured by the marauders, but made his escape. He says he could not ascertain the precise number of the enemy. He saw about forty or fifty, but they represented their number at several hundred. They were piloted in by the somewhat notorious John H. Smith, who was released by the Confederate Court at Nashville, some time ago, upon his taking the oath of allegiance, and who forfeited his recognizance some days ago in the Confederate Court at this place, upon a charge of counterfeiting; John Baxter, of this city, being his security. He was assisted in this infamous raid by other tory residents of Scott County, among whom was Riley Cecil, another individual who was released by Major Folkerson, at Jamestown, last summer, upon making the strongest promises of good behavior toward the Confederate States.

November 30. — This morning a “suspicions” lady passenger appeared on board the steamer Mary Washington, at Baltimore, Md., and, as a matter of course, had to submit to a search; the result of which was that she was deprived of an underskirt which had been padded with heavy skeins of black sewing silk. Two bags containing a quantity of gloves, stockings, &c. were taken from her. There was also found in the saloon of the boat, secreted between the back and seat of the sofa, a number of letters directed to various persons in the Confederate States. A little boy was also on board, dressed in the uniform of a Zouave, and, as he appeared to be extraordinarily bulky about the back and breast, Deputy Marshal McPhail thought proper to strip him of his jacket, when he discovered that the young soldier Was encased in bags of quinine. He was relieved of his load and allowed to proceed. The lady was also permitted to pass. When asked what she intended to do with the articles taken from her and the boy, the replied that she wished to make a little money. The skirt taken from her weighed thirty-five pounds, and the silk is valued at eight dollars per pound. — Baltimore News, December 2.

— The Seventy-fifth regiment, New York Volunteers, Col. Dodge, being the second regiment from Cayuga County, left Auburn for Washington. — N. Y. Herald, December 2.

— General Price has issued a proclamation to the people of Missouri, dated at Neosho, in which he calls for fifty thousand troops, and states that the exigencies of the situation demand that they shall be promptly furnished, as the term of service—six months—for which his present force was enlisted, is closing, and many of his men are leaving for their homes. He complains of the apathy and inactivity of the wealthy secessionists, who have stood aloof, and refused to aid him, leaving the poor men to do the fighting.

His present army, he states, is composed of poor men, who have joined him at great sacrifice and risk; and as their term of service is drawing to a close, and others are needed to take their places, he calls on the rich men, who have thus far done nothing, to rally to his standard, with blankets, bed-quilts, clothing, wagons, shot-guns, rifles, and such other arms as they can bring. He pledges them that they shall be paid for their services, and promises to confiscate property belonging to Union men in Missouri, to reward his troops.—(Doc. 205.)

—The Richmond Examiner of to-day has the following: “The campaign of 1861 may be considered as over. In a fortnight the enemy can do nothing more. The early danger of the South, that it would be overwhelmed, before it could organize and prepare for defence, by superior numbers and transportation, is at an end. We have so much advantage. But in the straggle an unexpected feature has developed itself in the temper of the United States. Before the war began all sane men believed they would compromise the political quarrel with the South; and had the North offered the South the poorest terms, so corrupt was public sentiment in Virginia at least, these terms would have been accepted.

When the war began, but few thought it would last six months. The six months have gone. The United States have endured defeat after defeat, made sacrifice after sacrifice, and have closed an unsuccessful campaign without the slightest signs of an approach to reason. The peace party of the North, like the Union party of the South, has entirely disappeared. The whole people are completely under the hand of the Government, and all together, people and Government, are bent on the prosecution of this war, even if the consequence be a collision with England and national bankruptcy. Under this impulse they have steadily increased, and are still increasing, their vast regular force. Not less than five hundred thousand men are enlisted for an indefinite period, and equivalent in all its parts to a regular army.”

After enlarging upon the faults of all militia and volunteer systems, to which alone the South has hitherto resorted, the Examiner says that “the only way to meet the North with any prospect of success is to raise a regular army, by some means resembling the conscriptions of all other nations in the world except England and America,” claiming that by this means “five hundred thousand men could be put in the field.”

—The rebel schooner E. Wittington was captured by the U. S. steamer Ben Deford this morning off Savannah, Ga., while attempting to run the blockade. She was heavily laden with a variety of small stores.—(Doc. 206.)

—A Correspondent in Des Arc, Mo., writing under this date, says: “All is quiet in Kansas, with the exception of the demonstrations of the Indians, who, in the absence of the Federals, are securing all the property they can get belonging to our enemies. They are not, however, laying waste the country. Twelve hundred Creek warriors have rebelled, and called for assistance from the Federal Government. They are closely watched by our regiment of Texans and one of the Cherokee regiments.—Memphis Appeal, Dec. 2.

—The Norfolk Day Book of this date contains an elaborate article on the manufacture of salt, and insists that the “individual who supplies this great necessity to the armies of this country serves her as acceptably and as successfully as the glittering hosts who stand upon her border for defence.”—(Doc. 208.)

—At Boston, Mass., an interesting ceremony occurred on board the U. S. steamer San Jacinto, when the crew of that vessel presented a handsome silver goblet to Lieutenant Fairfax. The goblet was beautifully engraved with national, military, and naval devices, one design representing the meeting of the San Jacinto and the Trent. It bore the inscription, “Presented to Lieut. Fairfax, by the crew of the San Jacinto, as a slight token of their esteem and love.” The presentation speech was made by Rev. Phineas Stowe.—Boston Herald, Dec. 2.

—Colonel D. Leadbetter, of the C. S. A., issued a proclamation at Greenville, East Tennessee, to-day, addressed to the “Citizens of East Tennessee.” He tells the loyal people of that section that “so long as the question of Union or disunion was debatable,” they had a right to vote on the subject, but “when secession was established by the voice of the people,” it became their duty to submit to the authority of the “Confederate States,” of which their State was one. He therefore offers pardon to all who will deliver up their arms and take the “oath of allegiance” to the “Confederate States,” excepting bridge-burners and destroyers of railroad tracks, who will be tried by drumhead court-martial, and hung on the spot.— (Doc. 207.)

—The Norfolk Day Book of this date has the following from Memphis, Tenn.: General Pillow has information from a reliable source that the enemy will attack Columbus in twenty days with a force of seventy-five to one hundred thousand men. A large amount of ammunition and cannon, from St. Louis, has been sent to Cairo. The enemy has thirty-eight mortar boats and eight gunboats. The enemy’s plan is to surround Columbus, and starve them into submission. General Pillow says we should make every effort to meet the enemy with a strong force right away. There is no time to be lost.