The American Civil War

—General Banks, at Baltimore, acting under the direction of authorities at Washington, this morning seized the steamers Mary Washington and George W. Weems, both owned and commanded by the Weems Brothers. These steamers have been running for a number of years between Baltimore and the ports of the Patuxent River, and it is said carried down a number of passengers who joined the Confederate army. The seizure was to prevent their being taken in a similar manner to the St. Nicholas and run into Fredericksburg as prizes. —Baltimore American, July 9.

—To-day orders were received at the headquarters of the army, in New York, to send on to the seat of war at once the company of the First Artillery, part of the Fort Sumter garrison, which remained at Fort Hamilton. Instructions were immediately sent down to the brave fellows, who were under arms for the road in a few moments. The old ensign of Sumter went along with them, as they believe “there would be no luck in the company without it.”—N. Y. World, July 11.

—This day whilst Col. Porter, of the U. S. Army, with a small party of men, was reconnoitering near the lines of the secession army in Virginia, he was approached by a detachment of the Confederate forces, in command of Capt. Taylor, of Kentucky, bearing a flag of truce. Col. Porter, on bringing the detachment to a halt, was informed that Capt. Taylor was the bearer of a sealed letter from Gen. Davis to President Lincoln, which statement was verified by an endorsement to that effect on the back of the letter, written and signed by Gen. Beauregard at Manassas Junction, and requesting that safe conduct might be given to Capt. Taylor.

Col. Porter accordingly sent Capt. Taylor, accompanied by an officer and an orderly, to the head-quarters of Gen. McDowell, at Arlington, where they arrived at seven o’clock in the evening, and were detained there until the visit of Capt. Taylor was made known to Lieut.-General Scott, upon whose order he was conducted to the General’s head-quarters in Washington, where Gen. Scott received the letter of Gen. Davis, and sent it to the President, the bearer of the letter being in the mean time detained at head-quarters.

The President, having read the letter, informed Gen. Scott that he might send the messenger back, and Capt. Taylor immediately took his departure for Arlington, and thence proceeded on his way back to Richmond.

No answer to the letter was given by the President, and it is conjectured that the mission was merely a ruse to get a view of the main works of defence, and ascertain the means at the command of the Government for a forward movement. Certain it is the messenger was not enabled to carry back with him any very encouraging tidings. One object may have been to occupy the attention of our authorities and delay matters for a few days, so as to allow time for aid from Manassas to Johnston at Winchester.—(Doc. 73.)

—Tm following official order appeared today:

“Henceforward the telegraph will convey no despatches concerning the operations of the Army not permitted by the Commanding General.

Winfield Scott”

Department of War, July 8, 1861.

The above order is confirmed.

Simon Cameron, Secretary of War.

—The Second Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers, Col. George H. Gordon, left Boston for the seat of war at Martinsburg. The regiment consists of one thousand and fifty men. They wear the regulation black felt hat, turned up at teo side. Their coats are made of serviceable blue cloth and their pants of blue flannel. Since the men first went into camp at West Roxbury, they have been put through the most rigid discipline, and are therefore now prepared to meet the enemy under any circumstances. The camp equipage of the regiment, consisting of twenty-five wagons and one hundred horses, left in advance of the troops during the afternoon. Each company is supplied with three thousand ball cartridges and seven days’ rations. The officers seem to have been well chosen. Among those in command of companies are sons of the late Rufus Choate, Thomas G. Gary, and the Hon. Josiah Quincy, Jr. The staff are all well mounted.

—Capt. Thomas, or the “French lady” who a short time previously captured the steamer St. Nicholas on. the Patuxent River, was himself captured by the Baltimore police.—(Doc. 74.)

—The De Kalb Regiment N. Y. S. V., under the command of Colonel Leopold von Gilsa, left New York for the seat of war.—N. Y. Evening Pots, July 8.

—An infernal machine, designed by the Rebels to blow up the Pawnee and the vessels of the Potomac flotilla, which was set adrift near Acquia Creek, was picked up floating toward the Pawnee. The following description of the article has been sent to the Navy Department: Two large eighty-gallon oil casks, perfectly water-tight, acting as buoys, connected by twenty-five fathoms of 3½-inch rope, buoyed with largo squares of cork, every two feet, secured to casks by iron handles. A heavy bomb of boiler iron, fitted with a brass tap, and filled with powder, is suspended to the casks six feet under water. On top of the cask is a wooden box, with fuze in a gutta-percha tube. In the centre of the cork is a platform with a great length of fuze coiled away occupying the middle of the cask. It was intended by the contrivers of this weapon of civilized warfare, that the shock of a collision should light the fuze. The machine was first discovered by the Pawnee while lying off Acquia Creek, in company with the Freeborn and two or three other vessels. The commander of the former, on seeing the object toward the fleet, sent out a small boat’s crew to make an investigation.—N. Y. Tribune, July 13.

—This morning, at an early hour, a considerable body of Secessionists made their appearance at the Great Falls, above Washington, opposite Major Gerhardt’s command, Eighth German Battalion, of about two hundred men, and commenced firing. Major Gerhardt’s battalion returned the fire, and after the exchange of a few volleys, “nobody hurt,” the rebels retired, but returned again this afternoon about five o’clock with reinforcements comprising a body of cavalry. The firing was kept up with spirit on both sides for several hours, and two men of Major Gerhardt’s command were mortally wounded and have since died—privates George Riggs and Martin Ohl. No other men were wounded on the Union side, but Major Gerhardt’s sharp-shooters emptied several saddles on the other side, and suppose they must have killed at least a dozen before the enemy retired. Gerhardt’s men are anxious to cross the river and meet their enemies hand to hand if they can be found. The firing from the other side was all along the shore from near Dickey’s tavern to above the Falls. Both Riggs and Ohl belonged to Company B, Turner Rifles. Both were married men, and the last words of Ohl was a message to his wife “not to grieve for him; that he died for liberty and his country.”—National Intelligencer, July 9.

—It having been ascertained to the satisfaction of the War Department that Captain Manry, Assistant Adjutant General; Captain Carter L. Stevenson, of the Fifth Infantry; and Second Lieutenant Dillon, of the Sixth Infantry, entertain and have expressed treasonable designs against the Government of the United States, their names, according to General Order No. 87, were stricken from the rolls of the army; and also Major Albert J. Smith, Paymaster, for having deserted his post at Key West, Florida.—Army Order No. 88.

—The Twenty-third Regiment N. Y. S. V., arrived at Washington. It is commanded by Colonel H. C. Hoffman.—National Intelligencer, July 9.

—Mb. Vallandigham, of Ohio, visited, this afternoon, the Ohio encampments in Virginia, and was greeted with the sight of a hanging effigy, bearing the inscription: “Vallandigham, the traitor.” When he approached the Second Ohio Regiment, he was saluted by a discharge of stones, and, on the interposition of the officers, they were also pelted, until it amounted almost to a riot. He was finally released from his unpleasant position.—N. Y. Tribune, July 8.

—Very impressive and interesting services took place in the Church of the Messiah in New York this evening. The exercises were chosen with special reference to their fitness for the first Sunday after National Independence. The services began with Collins’ Requiem of Heroes:

“How sleep the brave who sink to rest,

By all their country’s wishes blest!”

Then followed the xlviith Psalm, slightly modified, the minister rending a verse and the congregation responding with the alternate one. Dr. Osgood made the prayer, and afterward the choir sang the “March of Liberty.” The beginning of this sacred song is:

“No battle-brand shall harm the free,

Led on by Christ our Liberty!*

This was succeeded by Psalm csivii., read by the minister and people; lesson from the Old Testament—the Promised Land—Deut, viii.; chanted Psalm—Cantate Domino; lesson from the New Testament—Christ weeping over Jerusalem—Matt, xxiii.; and Gloria in Excelsis.

The subject of Dr. Osgood’s brief extempore discourse was “God with Nations,” in which he showed that the august feature of modern civilization was the consecration of nationality.

—The New Orleans Picayune published an elaborate article upon the celebration of the Fourth of July, in which it stated that the present rebellion is “based upon the same eternal principles which justified and glorified the patriots of 1776.”—(Doc. 72.)

—At Washington orders were issued as follows:—”The State of Illinois and the States and territories West of the Mississippi and on this side of the Rocky Mountains, including New Mexico, will, in future, constitute a separate military command, to be known as the Western Department, under the command of Major-General Fremont, of the United States army, head-quarters at St. Louis.”

It having been ascertained to the satisfaction of the War Department, that First Lieutenant John Thomas Goode, of the Fourth Artillery, entertained, and had expressed treasonable designs against the Government of the United States, his name was stricken from the rolls of the army.

Captain John McNab of the Tenth Infantry, having, while in command of Fort Laramie, given satisfactory evidence of his disloyalty to the Government, the President directed that his name be stricken from the roll of the army.

The President also ordered the name of Assistant-Surgeon, Lafayette Gould, of the medical staff, to be stricken from the roll for refusing to renew his oath of allegiance.—N. Y. Commercial, July 6.

—The work of erasing names from the Guion compromise petition lists is in progress. On the fourth of July fifty-six names had been erased, and a large number yesterday and today. It is amusing to note the effectual manner in which the names are erased. In most cases it is impossible to decipher the name—it is out a crossing off, but a complete blotting out. Almost every person who has erased his name says that his signature was obtained under false pretences. One or two say that they were informed that it was a petition to the Common Council for an appropriation for the Central Park, and that it would afford an opportunity for the employment of laborers now out of work!

The story that “some one” (meaning Mr. Galon) had commenced a suit for the arrest of Superintendent Kennedy and Mr. J. B. Taylor, fur false imprisonment may be stated in brief: An application was made to Judge Leonard for an order to arrest these gentlemen, and the Judge promptly refused.—N. Y. Evening Post, July 6.

—Forty-five men of the Third Ohio regiment fell in with an ambuscade of several hundred rebels at Middle Fork Bridge, twelve miles east of Buckhannon, Va. Being surrounded they fought desperately for some time, then cut their way through the enemy and retired, losing only one man and having some wounded.—(Doc. 71.)