August 7.—The Twenty-first and Twenty-fifth regiments of Maine volunteers, passed through Boston, Mass., on their return from the seat of war.—President Lincoln declined to suspend the draft in the State of New-York, in accordance with the request given by Governor Seymour in his letter of August 3.
The Rebellion Record—A Diary of American Events; by Frank Moore
August 6.—Eight sutlers’ wagons, returning from the front, were captured by Mosby’s rebel guerrillas, at a point between Washington, D. C., and Fairfax Court-House, Va.—Thanksgivings was celebrated throughout the loyal States; business was generally suspended and religious exercises were held in the various churches.—At Richmond, Va., “enough of companies composed of youths below the conscript age will speedily be formed to take the place of veteran troops now doing guard-duty in Richmond.
“Captain Figner is enrolling a company of youth between the ages of fifteen and eighteen for Major Munford’s battalion, and they are specially designed to take the place of a North-Carolina company stationed here. The enrolling quarters of the company are corner of Third and Broad streets. Only a few more youths are wanted to complete the organization.”—Richmond Examiner.
—A disturbance between a party of secessionists and the National soldiers stationed at the place, occurred at Visalia, a town in Tulare County, California, during which one soldier was killed and several secessionists wounded.—The ship Francis B. Cutting was captured and bonded, in latitude 41° 10′, longitude 44° 20′, by the rebel privateer Florida.
August 5.—Major-General Foster, with the iron-clad Sangamon and the gunboats Commodore Barney, General Jessup, and Cohasset made an expedition up the James River. At a point seven miles from Fort Darling, near Dutch Gap, a torpedo was exploded under the bows of the Commodore Barney, by a lock-string connected with the shore. The explosion was terrific. It lifted the gunboat’s bows full ten feet out of the water, and threw a great quantity of water high into the air, which, falling on the deck, washed overboard fifteen of the crew. Among them was Lieutenant Cushing, the Commander of the Commodore Barney. Two sailors were drowned. All the rest were saved. Major-General Foster was on board the boat when the explosion took place.
The rebels then opened upon them from the shore with a twelve-pound field-piece. The Barney was penetrated by fifteen shots, beside a great number of musket-balls; but not a man was injured except the paymaster, who was slightly wounded by splinters. The gunboat Cohasset received five twelve-pound shots, one of which passed through her pilot-house and instantly killed her Commander, Acting Master Cox, striking him in the back.—A brisk skirmish took place near Brandy Station, Va., between a party of National troops under the command of General Merritt and Colonel Davis, and a large number of rebels, resulting in the retreat of the latter, with a loss of two killed and one wounded. The National loss was one killed and two wounded.
August 4.—The draft in Philadelphia, Pa., and Oswego, N. Y., was completed this day.—The launch of the National steamer Wabash, containing a crew of twenty-two men, under the command of Acting Master E. L. Haines, of the gunboat Powhatan, and carrying a twelve, pound howitzer, was captured by the rebel blockade-runner Juno, near Cummings Point, in Charleston Harbor.—A force of rebel cavalry attacked General Buford’s pickets, near Rappahannock Station, but were repulsed and driven back beyond Brandy Station, with slight loss. The National loss was one killed and two wounded.—The steamer Ruth, with two million five hundred thousand dollars in funds, belonging to the United States, was burned on the Mississippi River.
August 3.—The exigencies under which one hundred thousand militia, for six months’ service, from the States of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West-Virginia were called out by the President’s proclamation of June fifteenth, 1863, having passed, it was ordered by the President that enlistments under that call be discontinued.— Horatio Seymour addressed a letter to President Lincoln, requesting him to suspend the draft for troops in New-York, and elaborately setting forth his reasons therefore.—The lighthouse on Smith’s Island, in the Chesapeake Bay, was destroyed by a party of rebels.
August 2.—Five hundred rebel prisoners were taken by four companies of the “Lost Children,” New-York volunteers, on an island in the rear of Folly Island, in Charleston harbor.
August 1.—Jefferson Davis issued an address to the people of the States in rebellion, calling upon them to hasten to the camps of the rebel armies, all persons who had absented themselves without leave, and granting an amnesty to all who should return to duty before the expiration of twenty days. (Doc. 113.)—The English steamer Peterhoff was condemned at New York, by the United States Prize Court, for carrying contraband of war at the time of capture.—A party of rebels made an attack upon one of the new Union batteries, in course of erection on Morris Island, S. C., and were repulsed with considerable loss.
—The funeral of Brigadier-General George C. Strong, who fell in the attack on Fort Wagner, July eighteenth, took place at New-York City.— The monitor Canonicus was successfully launched from the works of Harrison Loring, at East-Boston, Mass.—The Fourth and Seventh United States army corps were discontinued by order of the Secretary of War.
—This morning General Buford’s cavalry division crossed the Rappahannock River, at the Rappahannock Station, and shortly afterward encountered a brigade of Stuart’s rebel cavalry, which they attacked. The rebels were soon reenforced by the balance of General Stuart’s command, who fought with obstinacy, but they were driven back to within one mile of Culpeper. Here a division of infantry, made its appearance, and the Union troops, finding they were in danger of being outflanked, slowly fell back, followed by the enemy’s artillery, cavalry, and infantry. General Buford soon secured an eligible position, and for some hours held the whole rebel force at bay.
The fighting was obstinate, and the loss on both sides severe. The Union troops, although greatly outnumbered, heroically held their position, and repulsed every assault of the enemy. General Buford was shortly afterward reenforced by the First corps of our army, and the combined force soon compelled the rebels to cease their attack. The loss of the Nationals was one hundred and forty, sixteen of whom were killed.
—The Richmond Sentinel published the following this day: “A lecture at the Bethel meeting-house, Union Hill, to-morrow forenoon, is announced. The subject is, ‘The Northern States of America the most likely location of the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, in which the Beast and the False Prophet will be tormented.’ The lecturer will have the prejudices of his audience on his side.”
July 31.—A party of rebels captured Stanford, Ky., but they were soon after compelled to evacuate the place with considerable loss, by a force of National cavalry, who pursued them in their retreat toward the Cumberland River.—The rebel guerrilla Mosby, who was retiring from Fairfax Court-House with the property captured there last night, was overtaken by Colonel Lowell with a detachment of the Second Massachusetts cavalry, and compelled to relinquish the capture, and retreat, with a loss of twenty horses.—Major General Halleck having ordered that “every guerrilla and disloyal man be driven out of the country between the Potomac, Rappahannock, and Blue Ridge,” Major-General Pleasanton directed that, under that order, “every man takes the oath of allegiance or be arrested and sent in.” —The rebel steamer Kate was captured while endeavoring to elude the blockade of Charleston, by the Union gunboat Iroquois.—Kentucky being invaded by a rebel force with the avowed intention of overawing the judges of elections, intimidating loyal voters, and forcing the election of disloyal candidates at the election to take place on the third of August, General Burnside issued an order placing the State under martial law, and commanding the military to aid the constituted authorities of the State in the support of the laws and the purity of suffrage.
July 30.—A brief skirmish occurred at Irvine, Estelle County, Ky., between the Union forces of Colonel Lilly, commanding two squadrons of the Fourteenth Kentucky cavalry, and the rebels. The latter, under Colonel Scott, after their failure to take Lexington and Paris, commenced beating a hasty retreat for Irvine. They were hotly pursued .by the Federal forces. Skirmishing commenced at or near Winchester, and continued for a long distance. Irvine is some thirty miles from Winchester, where the Fourteenth were stationed. The rebels came upon them unawares, but this not discomfit them in the least, nor did they stop to calculate how far they were outnumbered, which they were, fully four to one. As soon as the attack was made by the rebels, the Fourteenth was ready for them, and gave them such a battle as they have cause long to remember. Every assault was bravely met and withstood, and notwithstanding the enemy gained some little advantage at one point, and captured some of the Nationals, the tide of battle was soon turned again, and the Nationals recaptured, together with eighty odd prisoners of the enemy, and their whole force driven across the Kentucky River, with the loss of all their wagons and stolen mules. At this point the pursuers came up and crossed the river and continued the pursuit. The Union loss was four killed, fifteen wounded, and ten prisoners. The rebel loss was seven killed, from sixteen to eighteen wounded, and seventy-five prisoners.—The Fifty-second regiment of Massachusetts volunteers, under the command of Colonel Greenleaf, arrived at Cairo, 111., en route to Boston, to be mustered out of the service.— President Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring that the United States would protect its troops of all colors.—(Doc. 137.)
—In Saline County, Mo., Captain Cannon, with about seventy-five men of the Fourth enrolled Missouri militia, attacked a band of sixty-three bushwhackers, under one Captain Blunt, and supposed to belong to Quantrell’s command. The militia lost two men killed and one wounded, and a horse killed. The rebels had several men wounded, and Blunt’s horse received a fatal shot. The militia then retreated, and the enemy fell back to the brush, cheering for Quantrell as they retired. The rebels next attacked a smaller party of militia, fifteen in number, belonging to the First enrolled Missouri militia, acting as a guard to a paymaster, who had about fifty thousand dollars. The money escaped observation, but two militiamen were captured and paroled, and seven of the best horses belonging to their comrades taken. The enrolled Missouri militia squad finally got safe within a brick church, and were not again molested.—The rebel guerrilla Mosby entered Fairfax Court-House this evening, and captured a number of sutlers’ wagons, together with stores and other property valued at nearly ninety thousand dollars.—General Grant, from his headquarters at Vicksburgh, Miss., issued a general order regulating the transportation on the river steamboats.—The bombardment of Fort Wagner was continued to-day, by the Ironsides and two monitors. Two men were killed in the Fort.
July 29.—Numerous depredations and outrages having been committed by citizens and rebel soldiers in disguise, harbored and concealed by citizens residing on the route of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, orders were issued by General Halleck authorizing the arrest of every citizen against whom there was sufficient evidence of his having been engaged in these practices.—A skirmish took place at St. Catherine’s Creek, near Natchez, Miss., between a party of rebels belonging to the command of General Logan, and the Seventy-second Illinois regiment, under the command of Captain James, in which The former were routed with a loss of fifty prisoners and seventy-five horses.—A force of rebels, numbering about two thousand, under the command of General Pegram, made an attack upon the National troops at Paris, Ky., and after a severe engagement, lasting over two hours, were repulsed and routed.—The Eighth regiment of Massachusetts volunteers returned to Boston from the seat of war.—Brigadier-General Innis N. Palmer was ordered to the command of the Eighteenth army corps at Newbern, N. C., and of the posts and districts occupied by that corps. —At Lynchburgh, Va., the rebel government officials were busily engaged in pressing horses for artillery service in General Lee’s army. The pressure was general, exempting only the horses in the employment of the government and those belonging to countrymen. — The British ship Banshee was captured off New-Inlet, N. C.— Queen Victoria’s speech, delivered to Parliament to-day, contained the following: “The civil war between the Northern and Southern States of the American Union still unfortunately continues, and is necessarily attended with much evil, not only to the contending parties, but also to nations which have taken no part in the conflict. Her Majesty, however, has seen no reason to depart from the strict neutrality which Her Majesty has observed from the beginning of the contest”— Colonel Richardson, the rebel guerrilla, issued an order requiring all men of West-Tennessee, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, to report to his camp under the rebel conscription law. The following instructions were issued to govern them in carrying out the order:
“If a man should absent himself from home to avoid the order, burn his house and all his property, except such as may be useful to this command.
“If a man resists this by refusing to report, shoot him down and leave him dying.
“If a man takes refuge in his house and offers resistance, set the house on fire, and guard it, so he may not get out”
—William L. Yancy, a member of the rebel Senate from Alabama, who died yesterday, was buried at Montgomery.
