The Rebellion Record—A Diary of American Events; by Frank Moore

June 28.—The steamer Pawnee arrived at the Navy Yard at Washington this morning, bringing the dead body of Capt. James H. Ward, of the steamer Freeborn, who was killed in an engagement yesterday, while attempting to cover a landing at Matthias Point, on the Potomac River.

The Freeborn was off the Point reconnoitring, when Capt. Ward discovered indications of a movement for the erection of a battery at that Point by the rebel soldiers encamped near there. On Wednesday night he sent up to the Pawnee at Acquia creek for Capt. Owens to send him a reinforcement of two boats’ crews to assist in effecting a landing. Two small cutters’ crews were sent down to the Freeborn, under Lieut. Chaplain, and with them a boat’s crew from the Freeborn, numbering from thirty to forty men in all. Lieut. Chaplain the next morning effected a landing, and succeeded in driving in the rebel pickets. Finding preparations for the erection of a rebel battery there, it was determined to throw up breastworks and mount guns thereon to give the enemy a warm reception should they attack the crews. Accordingly the men were set to work, under cover of the Freeborn’s guns, at throwing up a sandbag breastwork, and succeeded in working four hours and a half, and got their works completed about five in the evening. They then went to the boats to go on board for guns to mount on the work, when, just as they were embarking, they were surprised by the rebels, estimated at from one thousand to fifteen hundred strong, who poured in a heavy and continuous fire of musketry upon them from the bashes near by. Under cover of the guns of the Freeborn the crews precipitately made for the steamer, leaving a few of the men on shore, the guns of the Freeborn meanwhile opening with activity and precision apparently upon the enemy, who were concealed by the underbrush. Some ten shell were thrown among them, with what effect could not be seen, owing to their position.

Captain Ward behaved with great coolness, standing by the guns and directing the fire. When his gunner received a wound in the thigh, which disabled him, he immediately took his place, and was sighting the gun when he received a Minie musket ball, which killed him almost instantly.

The men left on the shore by the boats in their retreat swam out to the Freeborn—one of the men carrying on his back a wounded comrade named Bess, who had four musket balls shot into him. John Williams, coxswain of the third cutter, received a flesh wound in the leg while waving the Stars and Stripes, which he carried in his hand the whole time, behaving most gallantly under the hottest fire. The American ensign, which he never ceased to wave, was pierced with nineteen musket balls. Only three men of the boats were wounded, and the only life lost was that of the gallant Ward, who, the moment the enemy was discovered, blew the signal for the crews to come aboard, and instantly opened on the foe with his heavy guns.

While the crews were engaged on the breastworks, a slave, belonging to Dr. Hooe, approached the shore with a white flag on a pole, and getting aboard the Freeborn, informed Capt. Ward that the enemy were in the underbrush near by, one thousand strong. Still the work was continued, and made ready, as the event turned, for the rebels to occupy with guns.—(Doc. 55.)

—A Georgia Regiment arrived in Richmond, Va., without arms, the Governor of Georgia refusing to allow more arms to be taken from the State.—Richmond Examiner, June 29.

—Eight companies of rebel infantry and cavalry went from Knoxville, Tenn., to Cumberland and Wheeler’s Gap, to guard those places and prevent the federal troops from passing through Kentucky to the aid of the Union men in East Tennessee. They were encountered by the Union men in the mountains. —Louisville Journal, July 2.

—The Thirtieth Regiment N. Y. S. V. from Albany, under the command of Colonel Edward Frisbie; the Thirty-second N. Y. S. V., under the command of Colonel Matheson, and Colonel E. D. Baker’s California Regiment, left New York for the seat of war.—The latter for Fortress Monroe.—(Doc. 50.)

—The Charleston (S. C.) Courier, of to-day, prints the following from a private letter received from Manassas Junction:

“Our force is less than has been supposed. Two days ago it consisted of only about 7,000, and so also are all our forces at other points smaller than is supposed. Johnson, when he evacuated Harper’s Ferry, had not more than 7,000 effective men. Two thousand joined him about that time, and in one way and another, he has now a force of about 10,000 men. It was a military necessity, and he is the man to make the most of it. These facts account for the retreating and apparent indisposition to meet the foe. Their invasion of Virginia, and our inability to repel them, have been the result of the strange notion that we are engaged in a five years’ war, and of the consequent policy of rejecting, six weeks ago, at Montgomery, over 100,000 troops offered for twelve months. The scheme of requiring them for three years or the war, has produced great delay in the organization of the Southern army, and we are still very deficient, although now there is a willingness to accept on terms previously rejected. Our reliance, at present, is solely in the superior morale and desperate valor of our soldiers, and in the ability and judgment of our generals. Our cause has been greatly impeded and imperilled by this idea of a five years’ war, which nothing but the effect of this backwardness can produce.”

—Petitions for compromise, addressed to the President of the United States, which had been secretly circulated throughout the city of New York, were seized at the office of Frederick A. Guion. Mr. Guion issued an earnest remonstrance against the seizure.—(Doc. 51.)

—Colonels Magruder and Hardee were appointed Brigadier-Generals in the Confederate army.—The Nashville (Tenn.) City Council appropriated $750,000 for a residence for the President of the Southern Confederacy, as an inducement to remove the capital there.—The State Treasurer of Georgia gave notice that on account of the war with the Anti-Slavery States, the interest on the coupons and bonds of that State payable in New York, must be redeemed at Savannah.—An advertisement announces the reopening of the Confederate loan at several places in Georgia. It says that only $11,000,000 of the $15,000,000 have been subscribed for.—Nashville Union, June 28.

—General Banks at Fort McHenry issued a proclamation nullifying the protest and acts of the late police board of Baltimore.—(Doc. 52.)

—The Twenty-second Regiment N. Y. S. V., left Albany, N. Y., for the seat of war. The regiment is commanded by Colonel Walter Phelps, and is composed of men from the counties of Warren, Essex, Washington, and Saratoga. They belong to the class of hardy and industrious woodsmen, and intelligently understand the questions which underlie the present contest.—N. Y. Tribune, June 80.

—The First Regiment of New Jersey Volunteers left Trenton this morning for Washington in twenty-one cars, at 8 o’clock.—The Second and Third Regiments left this afternoon by way of the Camden and Amboy Railroad. The tents and other equipage —which Quartermaster-General Perine had, under the direction of Governor Olden, and at the request of the War Department, supplied them, went with each regiment.—N. Y. World, June 29.

—John C. Fremont arrived at Boston, Mass., this morning, in the steamer Europa, from Liverpool, bringing with him a large assortment of valuable arms for the Government. —Boston Transcript, June 28.

—At three o’clock this morning George P. Kane, marshal of police of Baltimore, Md., was arrested at his house by order of Gen. Banks, and conveyed to Fort McHenry, where he is held a prisoner.

Gen. Banks issued a proclamation, naming John R. Kenly, of the Maryland regiment, as provost marshal, and superseding the powers of the police commissioners. Kenly is to exercise supreme control over the police department until some known loyal citizen is appointed to act as marshal.

The proclamation gives as the reason for the arrest of Kane, that he is known to be aiding and abetting those in armed rebellion to the Government, and is at the head of on armed force, which he has used to conceal rather than detect acts of treason to the Government.— (Doc. 48.)

—The Board of Police of Baltimore, Md., published a protest against the arrest of Marshal Kane, declaring the act of General Banks “an arbitrary exercise of military power, not warranted by any provision of the Constitution or laws of the United States,” and Mayor Brown approved the protest. Moreover, the Board declared that, while the Board, yielding to the force of circumstances, would do nothing to increase the present excitement, or obstruct the execution of such measures as Major General Banks might deem proper to take on his own responsibility for the preservation of the peace of the city and public order, they could not, consistently with their views of official duty and of the obligations to their oaths of office, recognize the right of any of the officers and men of the police force, as such, to receive orders and directions from any other authority than from the Board; and that, in the opinion of the Board, the forcible suspension of their functions suspends at the same tune the active operations of the Police law, and puts the officers and men off of duty for the present, leaving them subject, however, to the roles and regulations of the service as to their personal conduct and deportment, and to the orders which the Board might see fit hereafter to issue, when the illegal suspension of their functions should be removed.”—Baltimore American, June 28.

—The following proclamation was received to-day at Washington:

Head-quarters Army of Potomac
Manassas Junction, June 25, 1861

On and after Sunday, the 30th instant, no person whatsoever, with or without passports, (except from the War Department,) will be permitted to enter the lines occupied by the Army of the Potomac with intention to pass thence or thereafter into the United States or the lines of the enemy.

Brig. Gen. Beauregard.

Thos. Jordan. A. A. Adj’t Gen.

—At Dover, Delaware, a meeting was held at which resolutions were adopted advocating the recognition of the Southern Confederacy, if a reconciliation by peaceable means should become impossible. The assembly was addressed by Thomas F. Bayard, William G. Whitely, and ex-Governor Temple, and others. —(Doc. 60.)

—The “Camp Record,” a folio newspaper, was issued yesterday from the camp at Hagerstown, Md., by a party of printers belonging to the Wisconsin Regiment. The object announced is to meet a want by supplying a convenient medium of communicating to friends at homo all matters pertaining to the little world of the 6th Brigade; but another reason may fairly be supposed, and that is the “irrepressible” impulse in the breasts of four editors and forty compositors, of the Wisconsin Regiment, to keep their hands and pens in practice. When they finish up the war on hand, these American soldiers will return to the desk and the case. The next number will be issued “The day after the editors get to Richmond!”—N. Y. Tribune, June 30.

—The Fifth Regiment of Maine Volunteers, commanded by Colonel Mark H. Dunnell, of Portland, passed through New York on its way to the seat of war. It was received by a committee of several hundred of the Sons of Maine resident in New York, and was escorted by them through Battery Place and Broadway to the front of the City Hall, where the presentation of a banner took place. The banner is a regimental ensign, regulation size, of blue silk, bordered with heavy, yellow fringe, and supported by a lancewood staff, surmounted by a gilt spear. The arms of the State of Maine and of the United States, combined in a shield, appear on both sides. The motto of the State of Maine, “Dirigo,” and the numerical title of the regiment, appear above the shield, and the following inscription appears below: “Freedom and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable.” The ceremonies commenced with a prayer. The presentation speech was read by J. T. Williams. The regiment contains 1,046 men, who are fully armed and equipped. Their uniform is gray throughout, with drab felt hats, regulation pattern. The officers are also uniformed in gray, with regulation hats. The arms consist of the Springfield musket and common bayonet.— (Doc. 49.)

—Gen. McClellan, in a despatch to an officer of the Navy in Cincinnati, states that the interview which Gen. Buckner has reported was strictly private and personal; that it was repeatedly solicited, and that he gave no pledge whatever on the part of the authorities at Washington that United States troops should not enter Kentucky. The only result of the interview as he understood it, was, that Confederate troops should be confined to Confederate soil, so far as Kentucky was concerned. —N. Y. Evening Post, June 27.

—The address of the Sanitary Commission to the citizens of the United States was published.—(Doc. 44.)

—A flag was raised upon the flagstaff on North Hill, Needham, Mass. It was run up by Newell Smith, Esq., one of the oldest inhabitants of the town, and saluted by the firing of cannon on a neighboring hill, the “Star Spangled Banner” by Flagg’s Band, and the cheers of the spectators. A public meeting was organized, and addresses were made by Rev. Messrs. Green, Atwood, and Emerson, all of Needham, and by Major Wright and Solomon Flagg, Esq. An original poem was delivered by Benjamin G. Kimball, Esq., and an ode, written for the occasion, by Hon. E. W. B. Canning, of Stockbridge, was sung by the people to the air of “America.”—Boston Transcript, June 28.

—The First Minnesota Regiment of Infantry, commanded by Colonel Willis A. Gorman, passed through Baltimore on its way to Washington. The full regiment makes an aggregate of 1,046 men all told, but only nine companies were on the march. This is accounted for by the fact that Company A was left at Fort Snelling, and this decreases the command to 910 men. The regiment is accompanied by Capt. Ingalls cornet band, of seventeen performers. They left Fort Snelling on Saturday week, and were ordered to report at Harrisburg on the 20th, but as they reached there on the 25th, after a hurried travel of over 1,800 miles, they concluded to report at Washington. They are a hardy-looking set of men, some of them of enormous size, all of them well disciplined and equipped, and only one sick man on the list. The uniform consists of plain gray cassimere, trimmed with black, and a black felt hat, according to the army regulation.

—Corporal Hayes and twelve men belonging to Col. Wallace’s regiment of Zouaves, while scouting on Patterson’s Creek, twelve miles east of Cumberland, Md., encountered a party of rebels numbering about forty. A sharp engagement ensued. Seventeen of the enemy were killed, and a number wounded. One of Hayes’s party was killed, and himself badly wounded.—(Doc. 45.)

—The Sixteenth Regiment N. Y. S. V. passed through New York en route to the seat of war. Before leaving the city the regiment was presented with a regimental flag by the wife of G. Howland. The dress of the soldiers is of the United States army pattern, and all the officers wear the regulation uniform, with felt hats and plumes. The commander of the regiment, Col. Thomas A. Davies, is a graduate of West Point, and served in the war with Mexico. The men are volunteers from the region of country about Albany, and northward as far as Plattsburgh.—(Doc. 46.)

—The Twenty-eighth Regiment N. Y. S. V., (Colonel Donnelly,) passed through New York on their way to the seat of war. This regiment was enlisted in the western part of the state, and made up of men of nearly all occupations, prominent among whom are school teachers. One company (that from Medina) contains 19 of the latter class, and company K, of Lockport, has nearly as many. All the companies contain a fair proportion of teachers. The regiment is a well-drilled, well-equipped rifle corps, armed with the United States rifle of 1851, with the sabre bayonet.—(Doc. 41.)

—The Second Regiment of Vermont arrived at New York en route for Washington. The troops are commanded by Colonel Henry Whiting, and number nine hundred and thirty, rank and file. They are a fine body of men, their short encampment at Burlington, Vt., having perfected the men in drill and discipline. They are armed with Springfield muskets of recent manufacture, with the exception of the right flank, or skirmishers, who carry the Enfield rifles with sabre bayonets.

At two o’clock in the afternoon, the regiment was formed in front of the City Hall, and E. D. Culver, of Brooklyn, presented the regiment, on behalf of the residents of Vermont in New York, with a magnificent regimental standard. Senator Solomon Foote, of Vermont, replied to the presentation in an eloquent and patriotic manner on behalf of Colonel Whiting.—(Doc. 42.)

—The Second Wisconsin Regiment, commanded by Col. Coon, arrived in Washington this morning. They number 1,046 men, with a gray uniform. They are stalwart men who appear to be able to stand all the vicissitudes of active service. They met with cordial greetings at Cleveland and other places on the way. —(Doc. 43.)

—The Pawnee, commanded by Commander Rowan, accompanied by the tender James Guy, left Acquia, Creek, Va., this morning for Matthias Point, carrying Capt. Woodbury, U. S. Engineers, and Capt. Palmer, U. S. Topographical Engineers, to make a reconnoissance, to learn whether batteries were or were not being erected there. At 5 A.M. Capt. Rowan sent an expedition of 40 men, sailors and marines, ashore in two boats, in charge of Lieut. Chaplin and Master Blue, all under Capt. Woodbury’s command. As the steamer approached the rebels showed themselves in considerable numbers, but they scampered over the hills when the ship directed a few shells against them, and they were kept in check by an occasional shell while the expedition was ashore, enabling it to accomplish its work unmolested. Its sailors captured two horses, saddled and bridled, compelling the riders to seek safety in flight. One of the men received a slight wound in the wrist from a revolver shot. The horses were brought off, hoisted into the James Guy, and sent to the Washington Navy Yard as prizes. During the reconnoissance the Pawnee threw 30 shells, which kept the enemy in, check, though their reported force there is 600 men, 100 or more being mounted. The party that landed saw the enemy’s camp from Grimes’s house on the hill, and having, on their return to the Pawnee, found out its direction, Com. Rowan put his ship in a proper position within the shoal, and shelled it, completely dispersing the camp, and setting fire to something behind the hill. A negro man came off to the ship, and gave information that 200 of the enemy are kept constantly on the beach, and the remainder in the camp. The Pawnee was relieved for the trip by the Freeborn, which took her place at the creek.—Rowan’s Official Report.

—This day the steamer Monticello had a fight with the rebels on the Rappahannock River, in Va. The steamer was on a reconnoitring expedition, and after she had proceeded a few miles, the pilot, Mr. Phillips, went ashore in a launch, with twelve of the crew, for the purpose of obtaining information as to whether there were any marked batteries in the vicinity. They landed on the farm of Mr. Gersham, when Mr. Phillips proceeded, unaccompanied, to the house, and was advised by the owner to return to his boat as quickly as possible, as there was danger abroad. The pilot took the advice, but had not proceeded far when a party of about fifty rebels made their appearance and commenced firing at those in the launch, who were lying on their oars waiting the return of Mr. Phillips; the boat immediately put off in the direction of the Monticello, leaving Mr. Phillips ashore. The commander of the steamer ordered the boat to return for him, and immediately opened fire upon the party on shore, causing them to disperse in double-quick time. During the firing upon the launch one of the crew was killed, Augustus Peterson, and Surgeon Heber Smith mortally wounded, and six others hurt by splinters and bullets. Their boat and oars were completely riddled by the flying missiles.—(Doc. 36.)

The steamer Quaker City also had a short engagement this morning with a large number of rebel dragoons. While cruising in Lynn Haven Bay, near Capo Henry, Commander Carr picked up a man named Lynch, a refugee from Norfolk, who represented that the master plumber of the Norfolk Navy Yard was ashore and wished to be taken off. An armed boat which was sent for the purpose was fired upon when near the shore, mortally wounding James Lloyd, a seaman, of Charlestown, Mass. A few thirty-two-pound shells dispersed the rebels.—N. Y. Evening Post, June 26.

—The blockade at the Louisville end of the Nashville Railroad commenced to-day. Nothing is allowed to pass except by permission of the surveyor of the port.—N. Y. Herald, June 26.

—Isham G. Harris, governor of Tennessee, issued a proclamation declaring that State independent of the Federal Government, and giving the official vote on secession.—(Doc. 37.)

—At Washington a detachment of the New York Fourteenth Regiment arrested a spy this morning, who had full details of the number of troops, position, and strength of batteries around that city. There was also found upon him a sketch of plan of attack upon the city. He had the positions of all the mounted cannon in that vicinity.

The scouts of the New Hampshire Second Regiment wounded a man this morning, who was approaching the lines and observing carefully the position of the camps and batteries. He pretended to be unable to speak English at first, but recovered his knowledge of the language as soon as he was shot.—N. Y. Commercial Advertiser, June 25.

—The Thirty-first Regiment N. Y. S. V., commanded by Col. Calvin C. Pratt, struck their tents at Riker’s Island and departed for the seat of war.—(Doc. 38.)

—Five companies of cavalry, six companies of infantry and dragoons, ten companies of volunteers—in all about 1,590 men with one battery, under command of Major S. D. Sturgis, left Kansas City to-day at 1 P. M., destined for south-western Missouri.—Sandusky Register, June 25.

—A Proclamation of neutrality by Napoleon III was received in America.—(Doe. 39.)

The Tenth Regiment of Ohio troops left Camp Dennison for Western Virginia,—National Intelligencer, June 26.

—To-day Professor Lowe went into the rebels’ country as far as Fall’s Church with his balloon, from which place he made several ascensions. He was so far towards Fairfax Court House that his appearance in the air created a report here that the rebels had an opposition balloon. He was escorted into the interior by one company of the Eighth New York regiment. Major Colburn, of the Connecticut regiment, accompanied Professor Lowe in his voyage, and made a sketch of the enemy’s country that was so correct, that Virginians who were familiar with the vicinity of Fairfax Court House, at once recognized it, and named the roads, lanes, streams, and dwellings. A small encampment of rebels was discovered near Fairfax Court House. Maps of the whole country occupied by the enemy will be taken by these balloon ascensions, under the superintendence of Professor Lowe.—N. Y. Herald, June 26.

—The Thirty-seventh regiment N. Y. S. V., commanded by Col. John H. McCunn, left New York for Washington.—(Doc. 33.)

—Major-general McClellan issued from his head-quarters at Grafton, Va., a proclamation “to the inhabitants of Western Virginia” and another “to the soldiers of the army of the West.” He has now taken command of the Western Virginia forces in person, and intends to prosecute the war vigorously.—(Doc. 34.)

—The Louisville, Ky., papers this morning contain letters from Gov. Magoffin and General Buckner, stating that an agreement has been made between General McClellan and the Kentucky authorities, that the territory of Kentucky will be respected by the Federal authorities, even though it should be occupied by the Confederates. But if Kentucky does not remove them the Federal troops will interfere. The Governor of Tennessee agrees to respect the neutrality of Kentucky until occupied by Federal troops.—(Doc. 30.)

—This evening as Col. Sturges’s battery was practising at a target on a low piece of ground, about a mile from Grafton, Va., five or six shots were fired upon the men by rebels, from a concealed position, without effect. A scouting party was sent out, and some five or six rebels, with arms in their hands, were captured and brought into camp. Among the rest were three of the Poe family, father and two sons, most notorious desperadoes.—National Intelligencer, June 26.

—The proclamation of Henry M. McGill, acting governor of Washington Territory, in response to the call of President Lincoln for troops, is published.—(Doc. 31.)

—Charles Henry Foster, in an address to the “freemen” of the First Congressional District of North Carolina, announced himself as a Union candidate for the United States Congress as follows:

“Fellow-Citizens: I hereby announce myself as an unconditional Union candidate for the Congress of the United States from this District. The usurpations of your Governor, and the revolutionary acts of your Convention, cannot command the acquiescence of loyal citizens. They are utterly without authority; they have no validity in law or public exigency, and impose no binding obligation upon the people. Your allegiance to the Federal Union remains first and highest, and there is no fealty that can conflict with or override it.

“A law of North Carolina fixes the first Thursday of August as the day of election for your Representatives in Congress. The default or malfeasance of no seditious Governor or other public functionary can defeat or impair your right of representation in the councils of the nation. It is your privilege to go to the polls, on the day designated by the statute of the State, and cast your ballots without fear or intimidation. You will be protected in the exercise of the sacred right of franchise to the full extent of the power of the Government.”

—Francis H. Pierpont, Governor of Virginia, issued his first proclamation calling together the members of that State to meet in Wheeling on the first day of July.—(Doc. 32.)

—A correspondent at Washington says: Surprise has been expressed in some quarters at the failure of Gen. Scott to prevent the erection of batteries at various points on the right bank of the Potomac. The impending advance of the Union army toward Richmond, however, will either compel the Rebels to remove their batteries or render them an easy prey to the Union forces. Gen. Scott is simply indisposed to take at a great sacrifice of life what will be had in due time without bloodshed.—Ohio Statesman, June 22.

—The Twenty-ninth Regiment N. Y. S. V., under the command of Colonel Von Steinwehr, and the Seventeenth Regiment, Colonel H. C. Lansing, left New York for Washington. The Twenty-sixth Regiment N. Y. S. V., Colonel Christian, left Elmira, N. Y., for Washington.— (Doc. 27.)

—Two free negroes, belonging to Frederick, Md., who concealed themselves in the cars which conveyed the Rhode Island Regiment to Washington from that city, were returned this morning by command of Colonel Burnside, who supposed them to be slaves. The negros were accompanied by a sergeant of the regiment, who lodged them in gaol.—Baltimore American, June 22.

—The Third and Fourth Regiments of Ohio troops, under the commands of Colonels Morrow and Anderson, left camp Dennison for Virginia—Philadelphia Ledger, June 24.

—The Eastern Tennessee Union Convention, assembled at Greenville, adopted a declaration, of grievances and resolutions, expressing their preference for the Union and Constitution, and ignoring in a most emphatic manner the idea that they had been oppressed by the General Government.—It is the fixed determination of the Federal Government to sustain and protect in their constitutional and legal rights all those citizens of Tennessee who, in their devotion to the Union, are struggling to wrest their State Government from the hands of its unconstitutional rulers, and it will defend all loyal States against parts thereof claiming to have seceded, and thus will afford them every protection “against domestic violence, insurrection, invasion, and rebellion.”—(Doc. 28.)

To-day Telegraph Engineer Henry I. Rogers, of New York, put in operation, on the western side of the Potomac, his newly invented telegraphic cordage or insulated line, for field operations, and it proved eminently successful, giving entire satisfaction in the manner in which it operated. It is run off reels upon the ground with great rapidity, (as required for instant use,) across streams, through woods, or over any localities. Lines were in extraordinarily short time laid between the head-quarters of General McDowell and two or three of his most advanced camps, and were worked in immediate connection with the telegraph station in the War Depatment. It is worthy of note that the heaviest artillery may run over the Rogers’ cordage without damaging its effectiveness in the least. It differs in many respects from the field telegraph used by Louis Napoleon in the Italian war, and embraces many advantages of convenient and certain operation under any possible circumstances over that (Louis Napoleon’s) which contributed so signally to the success of the French arms. —Baltimore American, June 22.

—The Second Rhode Island Regiment, Col. Slocum, accompanied by the Providence Marine Artillery Corps, with a full battery (six pieces) of James’s rifled cannon, arrived at New York, on their way to Washington. Governor Sprague and a portion of his staff, including Colonels Goddard and Gardner, and two others, accompanied them.—(Doc. 23.)

—This evening while the United States steamer Colorado was at sea, a break occurred in the after standard supporting the reversing shaft to the propeller. It had broken midway, and at a point where a triangular shaped piece had been sawed out of the rib, and a nicely fitted piece of soft wrought iron inserted and fastened by a small tap bolt. The surfaces had then been filed smoothly and painted over as before. But for the breakage it would have escaped the most critical examination. A strict inspection was made of the other parts, resulting in the discovery of a similar work upon the forward standard of the reversing shaft. Several other flaws were discovered, and the conclusion was irresistible that some villain had wrought all this mischief for the purpose of disabling the ship. A delay was caused before the repairs could be made, and the vessel again proceed on its course.—N. Y. Herald, June 27.

—At Willet’s Point, N. Y., interesting ceremonies took place on the occasion of blessing the standards of Col. McLeod Murphy’s regiment, and the presentation of colors by Col. Bradford, of Gov. Morgan’s staff. A large number of visitors attended, and interesting speeches were made by D. Thompson, Judge Charles P. Daly, Orestes A. Brownson, and others.—N Y. Times, June 21,

—Thirteen rebels were captured at Clarksburg, Va., this morning by the 3d Virginia Regiment. A secession flag and arms were also captured.—Louisville Journal, June 22.

—Gov. Harris, in a message to the legislature of Tennessee, recommends the passage of a law requiring payment to be made of all sums due from the State to all persons or the Government on terms of peace, and advises such a policy toward the citizens of the belligerent States as the rules of war justify. He recommends the issue of Treasury notes to pay the expenses of the Provisional Government, to be receivable as currency.

Major-General McClellan to-day assumed command in person of the Western Virginia forces. He expects to have 16,000 men in the field before Saturday night.—N. Y. Commercial, June 21.

—Cornelius Vanderbilt offered all the steamships of the Atlantic and Pacific Steamship Company to the Government, including the Vanderbilt, Ocean Queen, Ariel, Champion, and Daniel Webster, to be paid for at such rate as any two commodores of the United States Navy and ex-Commodore Stockton might decide upon as a proper valuation.—(Doc. 24.)

—In the Wheeling (Va.) Convention, Frank H. Pierpont, of Marion county, was unanimously elected Governor; Daniel Paisley, of Mason county, Lieutenant Governor, and Messrs. Lamb, Paxhaw, Van Winkle, Harrison, and Lazar to form the Governor’s Council. The election of an attorney-general was postponed till Saturday. The Governor was formally inaugurated in the afternoon, taking in addition to the usual oath, one of stringent opposition to the usurpers at Richmond. He then delivered an address to the members of the convention, urging a rigorous prosecution of the work of redeeming the State from the hands of the rebels. After the inauguration, the bells were rung, cannon were fired, and the whole town was wild with delight—(Doc. 25.)

—The Second New Hampshire Regiment left Portsmouth, for the seat of war. Previous to their departure, the Goodwin Riflemen, attached to the regiment, were presented with a banner. It had on one side the coat of arms of the State, with an inscription showing that the flag was given by the ladies of Concord, and on the other side was a representation of the Goddess of Liberty, with the inscription in gold letters, “Goodwin Rifles.” At Boston, Mass., on the arrival of the troops, they were entertained by the sons of New Hampshire resident in that city. —(Doc. 26.)

—Gov. Robinson of Kansas issued a proclamation calling on all good citizens to organize military companies for the purpose of repelling attacks from the rebels in Missouri.