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

November 18.—A skirmish took place at Rural Hills, Tenn., between a force of Union troops under the command of Colonel Hawkins, and a body of rebel cavalry, resulting in a retreat of the latter, leaving sixteen of their number dead on the field.— (Doc. 46.)

—Lieutenant-colonel John Mix, with a force of the Third New-York cavalry, and a part of Allis’s artillery, went from Newborn, N. C, on a reconnoissance on the Dover road toward Kinston. At Cove Creek they encountered the Tenth regiment of North-Carolina rebel infantry, and a large portion of the Second cavalry belonging to the same State, who, after a spirited engagement, retreated from the field, leaving a number of arms, blankets, and other equipments. —N. Y. Herald.

—Falmouth, Va., was occupied by the advance column of the army of the Potomac, under the command of General Sumner.—(Doc. 47.)

—The English schooners Ariel and Ann Maria were captured off Little Run, S. C, by the United States gunboat Monticello, under the command of Captain Braine.

November 17.—Warrenton, Va., was finally evacuated by the army under General Burnside. — The Twenty-third regiment of Connecticut volunteers, under the command of Colonel Charles E. L. Holmes, arrived in New-York, en route for the seat of war.—The schooner Annie Dees was captured by the gunboat Seneca, while attempting to run the blockade of Charleston, S. C.

—At Gloucester Point, Va., an outpost picket-guard, belonging to the One Hundred and Fourth regiment of Pennsylvania, was attacked at about three o’clock this morning by a party of rebel cavalrymen, who succeeded in escaping from the National lines, after killing one of the guard, wounding three, and capturing two others. —Philadelphia Press.

—The Committee of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in London issued an address, which they earnestly commended to the favorable consideration of their fellow-countrymen, and to the friends of humanity in all lands, with the object of evoking such an expression of sympathy as should encourage the emancipation party in the United States, in their most difficult position, to persevere in their endeavors to obtain justice for the slave.

—Jefferson Davis, at Richmond, Va., issued the following order:

Lieutenant-General T. N. Holmes, Commanding

Trans-Mississippi Department:

General: Inclosed you will find a slip from the Memphis Daily Appeal, of the third instant, containing an account, purporting to be derived from the Palmyra (Missouri) Courier, a Federal journal, of the murder of ten confederate citizens of Missouri, by order of General McNeil of the United States army.

You will communicate by flag of truce with the Federal officer commanding that department, and ascertain if the facts are as stated. If they be so, you will demand the immediate surrender of General McNeil to the confederate authorities, and, if this demand is not complied with, you will inform said commanding officer that you are ordered to execute the first ten United States officers who may be captured and fall into your hands.

November 16. — The remaining corps of the army of the Potomac, which had been encamped around Warrenton, with the exception of the Fifth corps, and the cavalry under the command of General Pleasanton, followed in the advance on Fredericksburgh.—President Lincoln issued an order respecting the observance of the Sabbath-day in the army and navy.—(Doc. 32.)

—The advance of General Sill’s brigade had a skirmish with a party of rebel cavalry on the Murfreesboro road, seven miles from Nashville, Tenn., without any loss.

November 15.—A fight took place near Fayetteville, Va., between a detachment of Union troops, under the command of General Sturgis, and a large body of rebels, resulting, after about an hour’s duration, in a retreat of the rebels.—(Doc. 45.)

—An enthusiastic Union meeting was held at New-Orleans, La., at which J. A. Rozier presided, and speeches were made by Thomas J. Durant, Colonel Deming of the Seventy-Fifth N. Y. S. V., and others. After the meeting dispersed a procession was formed, and paraded through the principal streets of the city by torchlight.

—The iron-clad steamer Passaic, with Admiral Gregory, General Superintendent of iron-clads; Chief-Engineers Stimers, Lawton, and Robie, on board, made her trial-trip up the Hudson River, as far as the Palisades, where she fired several shots from her eleven-inch and fifteen-inch guns. The working of the guns, the turrets, and the sailing qualities of the vessel gave satisfaction to all on board.

—The Second army corps of the army of the Potomac, under the command of General Couch, loft Warrenton, in the advance on Fredericksburgh, Virginia.

November 14.—General Burnside issued an order reorganizing the army of the Potomac.—At New-Orleans, Brigadier-General Shepley issued a proclamation authorizing the election of members of the Congress of the United States, in those portions of the State of Louisiana held by the National forces.

November 13.—Earl Russell replied, officially, to the circular of Drouyn De Lhuys, proposing mediation in the affairs of the United States of America, dissenting from the French proposition for the reasons, that “there is no ground, at the present moment, to hope that the Federal Government would accept the proposal suggested, and a refusal from Washington, at the present time, would prevent any speedy renewal of the offer of the government.”—See Supplement.

—The Fifteenth regiment of New-Hampshire volunteers, under the command of Colonel John W. Kingman, left Concord, for the rendezvous of General Banks’s expedition, on Long Island, N. Y.—Governor Brown, of Georgia, sent a message to the General Assembly of that State, in reference to the raids of negroes in Camden County.—(Doc. 44.)

—At seven o’clock this morning, Colonel Lee, chief of cavalry on the staff of General Hamilton, took possession of Holly Springs, Miss., after a slight skirmish, in which four rebels were killed and a number taken prisoners.—President Lincoln issued an order dirccting that the Attorney-General of the United States be charged with the superintendence and direction of all proceedings under the Conscription Act, and authorizing him to call upon the military authorities to aid him in carrying out its provisions. —Lieutenant-colonel Beard, of the Forty eighth New-York regiment, in command of one hundred and sixty of the First South-Carolina (colored) volunteers, left Beaufort, S. C, on an expedition to the Doboy River, Ga., where he succeeded in loading the U. S. steamers Ben Deford and Darlington with about three thousand feet of lumber.—(Doc. 48.)

Colonel Shanks, with four hundred men, attacked a camp of rebel guerrillas, above Calhoun, Ky., on Green River, a few nights since. The rebels broke and ran in every direction, leaving their horses, arms and all their camp equipage to fall into the hands of the Union forces.—Governor Letcher, of Virginia, issued a proclamation informing the people that he had reason to believe that the volunteers from that State, in the rebel army, were not provided with the necessary supply of shirts, drawers, shoes, stockings, and gloves, and appealing to them to furnish such of these articles as they might be able to spare for the use of the troops.—(Doc. 53.)

November 12.— General Hooker assumed command of the Fifth corps of the army of the Potomac.—The British schooner Maria was captured, while endeavoring to evade the blockade at Sabine Pass, Texas.

—A Cavalry engagement took place near Lamar, Miss., between a detachment of the Second Illinois and a company of the Seventh Kansas regiments, under the command of Major John J. Mudd, and a force of rebels, resulting in an utter route of the latter with great loss.—Missouri Democrat.

November 11.—Yesterday a skirmish took place near Huntsville, Tenn., between a band of rebel guerrillas and a detachment of the Huntsville Home Guard, under Captain Duncan, resulting in a rout of the rebels with a loss of four killed and several wounded; the Home Guard sustaining no loss whatever. To-day the rebels crossed the Cumberland Mountains, committing many depredations on their route, and made their way to Jacksboro, Tenn.

—Great excitement existed at Chambersburgh, Pa., it having been reported that the rebels were in Mercersburgh, and on their march for the former place.—The One Hundred and Fifty-sixth regiment of New-York volunteers, under the command of Colonel Erastus Cooke, left Kingston for the seat of war.—Lieutenant Johnson, of the Seventeenth regiment of Kentucky, was dismissed the service of the United States.—A fight took place near Lebanon, Tenn., between a party of National cavalry, under the command of Kennett and Wolford, and the rebels under Morgan, resulting in the defeat of the latter with a loss of seven killed and one hundred and twenty-five captured.—At Newbern, N. C, the National pickets and a small advance force were driven in by a large body of rebels, who opened the attack with shell and canister. Every thing was prepared to meet the rebels, should they attempt to enter the town, but they confined themselves to harassing the pickets, and withdrew during the night.—The Supreme Court of Georgia decided that the rebel conscript law was constitutional, under the provision which gives to Congress the power to raise armies, and also distinguished from the power to call out the militia. Judge Jenkins delivered the opinion. — Savannah Republican.

November 10.— An expedition consisting of about four hundred Union troops, under the command of Colonel Foster, this day left Henderson, Ky., in pursuit of several bands of rebel guerrillas that had been for some time infesting northwestern Kentucky. The force divided itself into four columns, and was entirely successful, defeating the rebels wherever they were come up with, taking a large number of prisoners, horses, and arms.

—A party of regular cavalry, under the command of Lieutenant Ash, of the Second dragoons, on a foraging party, at a point ten miles south of Warrenton, Va., encountered a squadron of the Fifth Virginia rebel cavalry, whom they routed and put to flight, after making a gallant charge directly through their ranks.—Officers of all grades belonging to the army of the Potomac were ordered to join their respective commands within twenty-four hours.

—Captain G. W. Gilmore, with a party of Union troops, made a reconnoissance into Greenbrier County, Va. Near Williamsburgh, he captured a wagon-train belonging to the rebel General Jenkins, about to be loaded with grain; also a number of prisoners, horses, mules, etc. He set fire to the wagons and grain.—(Doc. 43.)

—General Burnside, in accordance with the orders of President Lincoln, assumed command of the army of the Potomac.—The Legislature of Georgia passed a bill to obstruct the navigable rivers of the State, and appropriated five hundred thousand dollars to aid in the work. The Governor was also authorized to impress slaves for the purpose.—Savannah Republican.

—Resistance to the draft occurred in Ozaukee County, Wis.—An enthusiastic Union meeting was held at Memphis, Tenn.