The American Civil War

August 15.—At Arlington, Va., sixty noncommissioned officers and privates of the Second Maine Regiment of Volunteers, having formally and positively, in the presence of the regiment, refused to do any further duty whatever, alleging that they were not legally in the service of the United States, were, with the approval of the General-in-Chief, transferred, in arrest, from the regiment, as no longer worthy to serve with it, to be sent to the Dry Tortugas, in the Gulf of Mexico, there to perform such fatigue service as the officers commanding might assign them, until they should by their future conduct show themselves worthy to bear arms.—Army Orders.

—The Twenty-third Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, under the command of Col. Sanderson, left the camp near New Albany, for Indianapolis, and thence for the seat of war in Missouri.—Louisville Journal, August 16.

—Govenor Buckingham, of Connecticut, calls upon “the loyal and patriotic citizens of that State to organize in companies for four regiments of infantry.”—(Doc. 187.)

—Upon the refusal of Colonel Burke, the officer in command at Fort Lafayette in New York harbor, to produce his prisoners in court in response to a writ of habeas corpus, Judge Garrison of Kings Co., N. Y., who issued the writ, made formal application to General Duryea of the militia in Brooklyn to ascertain what force could be obtained by the county to execute the writ. General Duryea informed the sheriff that about fourteen hundred men could be raised, but that the county was in possession of no artillery sufficiently powerful to make an impression on the works, and that it would require between five and ten thousand men to take them.—N. Y. Evening Post, August 15.

—This afternoon the steamer Resolute was ordered from Aquia Creek to Matthias Point, Va., for the purpose of reconnoitring. Seeing a bateau filled with barrels on shore just below the point, a boat was sent from the Resolute with six men, to bring off the bateau. No sooner had the boat touched the beach than a volley of musket balls was opened upon them from a secession force concealed in the woods, killing three of the men instantly, namely—John James Fuller, of Brooklyn, master’s mate, who, it was subsequently ascertained, was pierced by two balls; George Seymour, captain of the gun, of New York, by seven, and Thomas Tully, of Boston, by two balls. Earnest Walter, a native of England, was wounded in the head. Another volley was fired by the enemy as they moved their position, or as soon as they had time to reload. The Resolute was about seven hundred yards from the shore, and fired in the midst of the rebels one shot of canister and nine of shrapnell. The scene on board the small boat is described as heart-sickening—the dead lying outstretched in it, covered with their own blood. The boat was towed a short distance from the shore by one of the crew named Sanderson, who quietly slipped into the water for that purpose, and thus concealed himself from the enemy. The other uninjured man lay in the boat, horrified by the scene through which he had just passed, while the wounded man helped Sanderson to row the boat toward the Reliance, from which assistance was immediately rendered.—(Doc. 188.)

August 14.—Jefferson Davis, at Richmond, Va., issued a proclamation, notifying all residents of the “Confederate” States, who do not acknowledge the authority of the same, to leave the “Confederacy” in forty days from the date of the proclamation.—(Doc. 182.)

—Robert Muir, of Charleston, S. C., and cousin of the British consul at Now Orleans, was arrested on board the steamer Africa at New York, just as she was leaving, as bearer of despatches from Jeff. Davis to the British Government. Several papers, showing he was such a person, were found on him.—National Intelligencer, August 16.

—Col. Farnham, of the N. Y. Fire Zouaves, died this evening at Washington of wounds received in the battle of Bull Run.—Idem.

—Proclamation of martial law, as follows, was made in St. Louis, Missouri:

Head-Quarters Western Department,

St. Louis, August 14.

I hereby declare and establish martial law in the city and county of St. Louis. Major J. McKinstry, United States Army, is appointed provost-marshal. All orders and regulations issued by him will be respected and obeyed accordingly.

(Signed) J. C. Fremont,

Major-General Commanding.

Provost-marshal McKinstry thereupon issued a proclamation calling upon all good citizens to obey the rules it has been deemed necessary to establish, in order to insure and preserve the public peace, accompanied with the assurance that the civil law will remain in force, and the military authority only be used when civil law proves inadequate to maintain the public safety; and that any violation of the order will be followed by prompt punishment, regardless of persons or positions.—(Doc. 183.)

—This afternoon at St. Louis, Provost-marshal McKinstry suppressed the publication of the War Bulletin and the Missourian, two newspapers which had been “shamelessly devoted to the publication of transparently false statements respecting military movements in Missouri.”—St. Louis Democrat, August 15.

—General Fremont ordered a re-organization of the United States Reserve Corps in St Louis, to comprise five regiments of infantry, with a reserve of two companies to each two squadrons of cavalry, and two batteries of light artillery, the troops to be required to enlist for the war, subject to the same regulations and receive the same pay as volunteer regiments.—N. Y. World, August 15.

—The First Fire Zouaves (Eleventh N. Y. V.) arrived in New York City, and were discharged on furlough. Previous to the discharge they were addressed in front of the City Hall by Gen. Prosper M. Wetmore.—N. Y. Evening Post, August 15.

—A mutiny broke out in the camp of the New York Seventy-ninth Regiment near Washington. Among their alleged grievances are, that it is proposed to attach them to the Sickles Brigade to which they object, and that they were promised a furlough in order to see to the comfort of their families, to reorganize, and to elect officers to fill existing vacancies; and as it appeared likely that this furlough would not be given, they refused to obey orders. A detachment of regular soldiers was sent to their camp, to act as circumstances might require. The result was the arrest of forty or fifty who took a more active part in the insubordination. These were taken into Washington City about eight o’clock P. M., and confined as prisoners, whilst the remainder of the regiment were marched to the Navy Yard under a strong guard of cavalry. —(Doc. 184.)

—The First Regiment of Minnesota Volunteers, numbering nearly eight hundred muskets, passed through Baltimore, Md., this morning, on their return home after three months’ service in the cause of the General Government. They have been operating in the region of country near Harper’s Ferry, Va.—Baltimore American, August 14.

—Bishop Whittingham of Maryland issued a pastoral letter to the clergy and laity of his diocese, with reference to the approaching fast-day.— (Doc. 185.)

—The question of retaliation and the exchange of prisoners is agitated in the Southern States. New Orleans papers of to-day contain an elaborate article on the subject.—(Doc. 186.)