Decatur Eagle, Volume 6, Number 15, Decatur, Adams County, 15 May 1862 — Page 1

THE II It CAT I R EAGLE'

VOL. 6.

'TST'JBXEtELa DECATUR eagle, IS ISSUED EVERY THURSDAY MORNING, BY A . .1. HI L 1,, EDITOR, .PUBLISHER AX’D PROPRIETOR. OFFtCE—On Second Street, In Patterson’ | building, ovjjr the Drugstore. Terms of Subscription: One copy, one year, in advance, fl 00 If paid Within the year, 1 50 If not paid until the year has expired, 200 tTNo paper wilt be discontinued until all arreractes are paid except at the option of the Publisher. Terms of Advertising: t)n*» square,(ten lines) three insertions, $1 00 ; Mach euhsequept insertion, 25 ILTNt* a i'/ertisetnent will be considered less than one square; over one square will be counted and charged as two; over two, as three, etc. (L?*A liberal discount, from the above rates, made on nil advertisements inserted for a period longer three months. L/The above rates will be strictly adhered to undor all circumstances. JOB PRINTING: We are prep tn d to do all kinds of job work, , in a neat and v\orkmanbke manner,on themcst reasonable terms. Our material for the com- i pletion of Job-Work, being new and of the bit est styles, we feel confident that satisfaction I can be given. LITTLE WIFE. Cousin—as boy and girl, we watched 'J he gl«»w-wonn and the star, Made iniipic trenches on the sands, And gathered shell and spar: We built the snow-man in the drift, \Vp uu ted in the park; 1 called her bhyly, ‘.‘Little wife,” And kissed her iu the dark. For years our paths lay wide apart — Ah wile as sun ai»«l sea— And when we met again, she seemed Half strange, half shy. with me; But, guests toglher at the farm, We soon recalled to life The UJt tnory of those early days, hen she was 1 Little wife. A whisper at a wedding dance — A blushing, bending face— And then I beard the welcome word That gave me cousin Grace— That gave ma her whose love dispelled The shadow of my life Who lay* her hand in mine to-night, And is—my “Little wife.” _ t. _ _ You would not sin so olloti it you knew some things of which v«»u are ignorant. ; — •?' —— A merchant lately advertising for a clerk ‘who could bear confinement, received an answer ir<nn on< who had been I ‘upwards of seven I ears in j d.' 'Min prop"*'* bu* G,.. >:i-poses* .-aid a pious Munt lolier over confident mice. , •Let 8 man propose to me. if he dare,’ was the response, 'ami 1 will dispose of' him according to my own views, as be, suits me..' - - A superintendent oi police once made nn entry in his register, from which thfollowing is an extract: "The prisoner set upon me, called me an ass, a pr- :ous dob a scarecrow, ragmuffin and idiot— ull of which 1 certify to be true! ' ‘The arrangements of uature are admi rable,’ exclaimed a pretty belle during the late high wind. 'The sama wind which disarranges our crinoline, blows dust into j the eyes of the wicked young men who would take advantage of our confusion.’ It ia an easy matter to knock a crotchet out of a crazv man’s head, if you only hit him right. An old gentleman whose head j waa a little turned, cried out to his son one night: ‘Abel! Abel! Satan has been ' tempting me all night to go and drown myself tn the horse trough.’ ‘Well, he must be a fool, for there hasn’t I been a drop of water in it for six weeks. The old gentleman turned over and. went to sleep, thinking no more of evil spirits. — — I — A girl, coming from the field was told by her cousin thnt she looked as fresh as a daisy kissed with dew. “Well, it wasn’t any fellow by that name, but it was Steve Jones that kissed me. I told him that every one in town would find it out.” A lady, a regular shopper, who had made an unfortunate clerk tumble over all the stor kings in his shop, objected that none w?re long enough. '1 want the verv longest hose that are made.’ 'Then madam you had better apply at the ntxt encine house.’

A YANKEE EXPLOIT. On the western side of the Penobscot I bay, between Belfast and Camden; there was a small club of fishermen's cots, in I habited by a hardy set of men, who had , from infancy been brought up amid the ! music of the breaking wa es, and knew I no fear beneath the power of mortal man. i For»most among these hardy children of I the sea, and occupying the station of sort of ruler among them, was a middle aged man, named Enoch Nightingale, or as he was generally called, Capt. Nightingale, and never was a man better fitted by nature for the post he held by the geni era) consent, than was he. Powerful and athletic in his general relations he was beloved and respected by all who knew him. He was a jolly fellow, too, and often as his small eyes twinkled in the merry mood, a keen observer, might have seen love of practical joking lurking in their gleaming depths. At the time of which we write the fishermen dared not venture far out to sea, for a close blockade was kept up along the ccast. and so they were forced to forego the advantage of their best fishing grounds; hut a new idea had taken | possession of their minds, and they lud thought of fitting out a privateer against the English. For two weeks had this matter been talked over, and all the arms i necessary to personal warfare had been procured, but no vessel suitable for the enterprise could be obtained, nor could I 'hey raise guns heavy enough for sea use, had they possessed the vessel. Os I pistols and cutlasses they had enough, i and that was nil. unless we add on • old i iron six pounder, which served as a kind |of signal gun in case of heavy fogs and | stormy nights. It wasjust at nightfall that Obed Nightj ingale’s shallop, (Obed was the old man’s ; [ son,) came up the bay, and as the young I man came on shore, he reported that there was an English top sail schooner, a clean, clipper-built craft; lying iff and on between Mohegan and the ledges she was heavily armed, and seemed to play about the water as if she was mad > for running. Nrw Capt Enoch Nightingale had said 1 but little aboil’ the various projects that j had been set on foot with regard to the i privateering expedition, but he had i thought a great deal, and as hi* son com municatvd the above intelligence, his i thoughts came to a focus A plan of operations was clearly marked out in his mind, an! he at once set at the work of putting it into effect. The man who -tool second in command to Cept. Nightingale, and who was in fact Nightingale’s first mate, wss Jahe Haskins, ami upon him the old man first called. ‘ Jade,” said the Captain, "did you j know there was a British clipper just • lUtside?’ •Y.s ’ ‘ Wil, s’pose we go 'an take her.' ; 'Do what?’ •Take that Englishman,’ ' -W-h e-wl’ J abe looked at Nightingale in utter asI tonish nent. ‘I can go out in mv little Rhody, an' ' take her before she knows what she is.— Now will vou holn me?’ ‘l’ll follow you cap'n, if you go to | thunder,’ was Jabe’s hearty response, as he saw Hie old man was in earnest. Captain Nightingale took his mate by the arm and I d him off. The night was lark but still there was n bury scene on board ’.he schooner Rhody, which was he heaviest fishing vessel in the place.— Torches were gleaming two and fro all night; Lammers and saws were sending forth tl.eir music, and when the morning dawned the Rhodv was ready for lea. — The old iron signal gun had been hoisted ■ on board, and then placed on a rude sort of carriage amidships, the cod line, brackets and bait boxes had been cleared away, and take her all in all, she bore some slight resemblance to an embryo pirate or some privateer. i She was manned by twelve men, of whom Jabe Haskins took command.— The people wondered where the Captain i was, but he had set their hearts at rest I by telling them he would get outside as ' soon as the schooner did. In an hour after day light the Rhody hove up her anchor and made sail, and in i less than five hours she poked her black ■ nose into the waters of the Atlantic.— Shortly after the schooner had passed the Whitehead Light, the Englishman was made out about two miles distant, to the south'ard and west’ard, just rff the Lodges and hauling his sheets flat, Jabe brought his vessel up to the wind, which was fresh from the north’rd and east’rd, and stood off the latter point. This looked amazingly like trying to runaway, at least so the englishman thought, and con- ; sequently the elipper was put in full chase, and though she was somewhat to the leeward, still it was evident she would not be long in overhauling the Yankees. About four o’clock in the afternoon the Englishman came within hailing dis tance, an 1 fired a gun- A s her shot cams

“Our Country’s Good shall ever be our Aim—Willing to Praise and not afraid to Blame.”

DECATUR, ADAMS COUNTY, INDIANA, MAY 15, 1862.

whizzing over the fisherman’s deck, Haskins at once hove to, and ere long the clipper came up. ‘Schooner ahoy!’ Hello!' returned Jnbe. ‘Do vou surrender?’ 1 ‘Well, if yeou want to take us I suppose I can’t help myself.’ The clipper hove her foretopsail to the mast and lowered her boat, and in some . j five minutes her commander, followed bv fifteen men. came over the Yankee’s side. 1 The first object that met hie gaze as be , stepped on board, and though the thought of an American pirate made him , feel sore, yet ho could not help laughing | at the comical scene that was thus presenj ted to his gaze. The twelve green looking fishermen, together with that gun jdid present a ludicrous appearance. 'i ‘So you are out on a piratical expedition?' remarked the British officer. ' 1 'I dunno,’ said Jabe, with an offended I air; ‘I s'pose es I could come across one o’ your crafts 'at I could ’av took. I should 'ov done it; but I dunno as I’d ! been pirating any rnor’n you are now.’ 'How many men have you got?' ‘Here’s twelve on us, an’ es yeou've , got twelve men ’at can lick us, I'd like tew see ’em,’ said Jabe. 'Never mind thnt, Jonathan. We'll ' take vou into Halifax, and there, perhaps, you’ll find your match. The schooner was searched fore and aft. but all that could be found was a j dozen old pistols and as many swords. ' which were in the cabin, while in the j hold the;’ discovered nothing but nn nr- ' ray of empty bex-s and barrels. The Englishmen left twelve of his own men to take charge of the prize, and took six of the prisoners on board his own vessel, leaving the other six in charge of the officer who had been appointed to the com marid of the Rhody, and also left orders that the schooner should be kept in his wake during the night, as he intended to' see her safely out of the reach ot the smart Yankee cruisers I Until nine o’clock tha' n ,h‘. the R'lody , stood on and alter the clipper, with all sails set, while the latter only carried her mainsail and two jibs. The six yankees who hail been left on board , were secured lin the long boat., while the lieutenant in command, and five of his ms.i had the fi r st I .Muioh When the clipper struck two bells the vessels were not more iu&n two cable’s length apart, and the prize was a little to the windward, owing to her bad ! sailing, the lieutenant wished to keep the i weather gage. * i The night was quite dark, and the wind which had fallen somewhat since sundown, had veered slightly to the windward. i While the masters were busily ; engaged in keeping up with .he clipper, a nrvel scene was being enacted in the hold. One of the boards which seemed to form part of a stationary floor, was lifted from its place, and the head of Captain Enoch Nightingale appeared through the apparture. Ina moment another board was removed, and ere long, forty stout fishermen, all wel armed, had come ' from their place of concealment. It was .ia moment’s work to leap on deck, nnd ere the thunder-struck lieutenant could , see whence the enemy came, he was bound hand and foot, and so were his men, while the prisoners in the long boat were set free. Obed Nightingale took the helm, while his father, p tinting a cocked pistol at the head of the English i . lieutenant, said: ‘Do you think wc are in earnest sir or not ?’ I should think you were,’ replied the trembling officer. ‘Then if you don’t obey me you will get a bullet through your head in an instant. Now hail that clipper.’ ‘Scorpion, ahoy!’ shouted the lieutenant, as if for dear life Iu the meantime the Yankee had been let off a little to the wind, so that she . was within a little more than a cable's i length of the captor, while the hold fishermen were nearly all crouched beneath j the bulwarks. Some one from the clipper answered the call. ‘Tell them the schooner has sprung a ! i leag, and the cussed Yankees must have ' thrown the pumpbreaks over board.’ The poor lieutenant looked first at the . stern face of the old man, then at the muzzle of the pistol; and stretching his lungs to the utmost, he obeyed the order. ‘Now tell them to heave to, and you’ll 1 run alongside.' The frightened officer obeyed, and the next moment the clipper’s helm was put hard down, and her main boom shoved lover to the windward. Seven of the Yankee fisherman were stationed along the lee rail, with stout grapplings in their hands, and in lesa then five minutes the Rhod’s bowsprit loomed up over the clipper's weather quarter. — Obed shoved the helm down, letting go the sheets afore and aft, the Yankee schoo- . ner shot gracefully alongside. “Why ia did’nt you come up un-

der our lee quarter?” shouted the English captein as the fisherman thumped alongside of the vessel; but before he could utter any more of his wrath, with which he was boiling over, he found his deck sw .r---naing with strangers. The whole thing had come about so unaccountably, and withal so suddenly, that hardly a blow was struck by the as i tonished Englishmen, and before they were fully aware that they had been captured by their own insignificant prize‘.hey i were securely bound, and most of them i stowed away below under a strong guard "Wai, cap’n,” said Jubu Hastings, who ; Gad been released from duraoce vile, when dew you think of taking us into Halifax?” The Englishman looked very hard at his uncouth tormentor, but disdained to > make any reply. "I say, cap’n," continued Jibe, in a 1 very unfeeling manner,"rather guees as jheow’i that air exploit o' youen won’t amount to a great deal, will it? But look here, don’t for mercy’s sake go home and tell your king that yeou got took by a Penobscot cod-fisher man, kase it might hurt his feeling ” This lime the Englishman’s answer was more wicbed and unfeeling than had been Jabe’s, for he not only'S'vore terni bly, but even wished every Yankee in Christendom was in the immediate kingdom of that hoofed and horrid individual who is said to reign somewhere beneath the earth. Before the sun had set on the next day. the English prisoners were all landed at Belfast, and Capt. Nightingale found himself in command of as handsome a privateer as floated on American waters; and until peace was declared and the embargo raised, lie carried on a most destructive trade among the Brilich merchantmen. Confederate Resources to be Husbanded. ! In the Richmond Enquirer of the 25,‘h J tit. the editor urges upon the Con fed <r ' ates the necessity of husbanding the re--1 sources of the South, upon which, he says the maintenance of th< tr army depends. His remarks are chiefly addressed to the , army officers, and he urges them to interi sere no more than is absolutely necessary with the agricultural operations of the country. While urging upon the one hand that the consumption and destruction by the army should be reduced to the minimum, through the attention of the commanders, an appeal is made to the farmers to exert themselves to the utmost in the production of supplies. While lamenting the . contiguity of large portions of the ( onfed- . eracy to our linus, and the general feeling of our forces creates jarnong the Confed- i erate farmers, accotnpinied by the doleful but significant remark that“it is hard to sow when they know not who shall reap, I he implores every farmer, especially those I of Virginia and North Caroftnia’ to plant the utmost acre and to choose those acres which will bring the most corn, giving ' them the assurance that it will all be nee- ; ded, but if his admonitions are not heeded their cwn families must starve. The Confederates have just discovered that it is as important to raise corn as to enliot soldiers; to make flour as to manufacture cannon, and that beef and sal ; pork are as necessary as bullets and salt- ! peter. q. in Latest From Yorktown. I learn by steamer from Yorktown that General McClellan has advanced twelve ' miles beyon' 1 Williamsburg, and has had several skirmishes with the enemy, rou ting them with heavy loss. The embarkation ot troops for West Point was progressing with great rapidity and a heavy battla had taken place Wednesday P. M ; between the troops under Generals Franklin and Sedgwick, and the rebels under Lee. who were endeavoring jto make thei way to Richmond. It is said to have been the severest battle on the Peninsula, and the rebels were totally defeated and flanked, being driven back to- I ward the forces under General Johnsou, on the Chickahominy. The whole number of the Fvderals kil led and wounded was 300. The enemy were driven back by our gunboats with great slaughter. They had not lees than ' 30.000 men. while our wnole force wa»nol ■ over 20,000 landed. Had it not been for the gunboats they would have been defea-, ted. Deserters from the enemy report there was great excitement at Norfolk this morning. that General Burnside with a large force is within a few miles of Weldon, and that the rebel troops are evacuating the city at all possible speed. Sewall's and Pig Points, they eay, are already abandoned, and preparations are i making to destroy the Navy-yard and ; other public property. j 1,1 1,1 — • — | A late letter from Port Royal says the . I only reason why Charleston is not cap- ) lured and Savannah taken poaseMion of, . is that a force of the rebels, much larger than our own, is thus kept from joining . Beauregard ot Corinth.

TH E EAG LE. j Camp Correspondence. Tiptonville, Tennessee,( May 2n I, 1662. ) Editcr Eaolk. — After a long lapse of ; silence, of sickness and ultimate recovery, lam once more enabled to write you s short epistle Illness utter pros'rstion, has heretofore pievented ine from com i muiiicatiiig with the Eagle and its readjers, and now my convalescence being complete, I have scarcely an item to no.lice, which might interest them. i Since my last letter from Camp Wick- ; lilfe, of muddy remembrance, we have ' ' floated down the Ohio, crossed the majestic "father of waters,” had a brush with the enemy at New Madrid, exchan- , g-'d occasional shots with them at Riddhs P oint; and, together wilh a24 pounder, siege gun, kept five rebel gunboats at j bay, nearly a day, a couple of miles below ! Point Pleasant, recrossed the Mississippi,] and here we are at Tiptonville, a small | landing place on the river, twenty five miles below the oft mentioned Islam! No. 10. if journied by the stream, but distant' j only five by land. The camp itself is a I beautiful plateau, dry and sandy in the ; main, being even now above the highest, watermark; though the river is at present: higher than it has been foi the last thirty I years, overflowing everything and doin. a gnat deal of misch e above and below the point. The surrounding country is low and swampy, and should we remain here all summer, or till the end of the war, which m all likelihood we will, 1 am afraid the mHjoiitv of us will be Irarsferred to kinkdom come, through the agem yof some fever or other, unless tin I con taut breeze from the river side, puri ! , tying the atmosphere, will prevent il. i Our regiment is like the grand army I !of the Potomac was, of whioh it was so i often affirmed, that it was etill in s’.ulu quo. Nothing is done, no marching, no j drilling, not even the accustomed dress-1 | parade at sunset. Time of course hangs ! I heavily on our hands, and if there is one • I patriotic man, woman or child in Adams J ; county, who wishes to contribute to oui I I happiness and enjoyment let him, or her! ' send us a collection of books, phamphlets , I papers, or anything else to kill time with. ft will he very acceptable, and to those I who heed our request, we shall be obliged ) : forever more. But I am done, and when one iv done ! talking he ought to stopRespectful! v. G CHRISTEN. The Fight of the Hebei Congress—The j Richmond Whig on the Skedadile’’of the Members. For fear of accidents on the railroad, j the slamp°ded Congress left yesterday in { a number es the strongest and newest ca nal boats. These boats are drawn by mules of approved sweetness of temper To protect theßta.npeders from the snaleand bullfrogs that abound along the line of the canal General Winder has detailed a regiment of Indies to march in ad vance of the mules and clear the topathoC the pirates. The regiment is armed wilh | popguns of the longest range. The ladies will accompany the stainpeders to a secluded cave in the mountains of Hep - sidam.and leave them there iu charge ul the children of the v'cinage. until McCiel- ' lan thinks proper to let them come forth. ; The Udses return to the defence of their ' country. ' A good anecdote Is told ol one of the I .Connecticut boys. Wiiile in conversation with a rebel, eftei the capture of Fort Pulaski, the latter said," At least with all lour faults, we have never made wooden I I nutmegs.” The Yankees a very demure I I looking specimen, innocently replied:‘\Ve . i lo not make them of wood any longer,” : , and pointing to one o* the big projectiles ! jiving near, which had breached the fort, I ■ added quietly. ”We make them nuw ol iron.” Secesh subsided. A musical writer in Bellefontaine Ga- ■ zette. save that now ‘‘Honest Old Abe” I has his Hoe printing press at work, he i can print monev (aster than his friends i can steal it. We doubt that conclusion I very much. | The same writer says "Cotton is King, , at last—Treasury notes are made of rags; 1 i rags are made of Cotton, for refusing to ■ take which, as a legal tender, you are , (Sent to Foil Warren' r. » i ; The evil you do tn others, you may expect in return.

H itile of Willi unib tirg—Urine y of Onr Troops—The works of t e Cue ay at Williamsburg. Baltimore, May 8. —The foil owing is from the account of the bat- ' de «i Williamsburg: The battle 1 efcre Wil iamsburg o i Monday was a nu : I w vrinly contested engagemi nt. Owing to '.be roughness of the countiV. and bad condition of the roads, but a small portion of our troops could bs bi-< ught into action. General Sickles, Excelsior Brigade and General Hooker’s division b >re the brunt of the battle, and fought most valiendv tbroujhout, t’lough ,rtatlv overpowered bv numbers, and he superior position and earthworks of idle enemy. The approaches to their 'earthworks were a series of ravines and : swamps, while rain fell in torrents thro- | ughou . the day. The mea Ind also been | lying on their arms i.ll the previous night n a wood, nd wire soaked with the rain ‘' nd chilled with cold. The battle raged from earlv in the i morning until three o’clock in th" afie.r- --' noon, when Gei.erai McClellan arrived : with fresh troop’ and relieved the divis o n of Geveral Hook r, wi o were nearly j prostrate wi'h fatigu" and exposure white the Third Excelsior Regiment of Sickles, ; Brig-tie had its ranks terribly thinned by I the batteries of the enemy. They are ! represented as having fought with such ■bravely that not lees than 2t'o of them j ire killed and wounded. After the arrival of Genera! McClellan the enemy were ■fiercely charged by Hancock’s Brigade, I and w. re driven within their works before nightf' II with heavy loss. Nearly 700 of their dead were left on the field, with many wounded, though most of the latter were carried into Williamsburg. Our ‘oss was less than 300 killed and about 700 wi.uu ted. Night com’ng on we occupied the battle-field, the enemy having been driven within his works, and o ir for- ! ms lav on their arms prepared to storm ■the works in the morning. On Tuesday morning General McClellUn sentout scouts, while preparing to ■ move on the enemy’s works, who soon ! reported that he hud again taken fligh’ I luring the night. The works of enemy i and the city of Will a nsburg were then I taken. Foil Magru ler was a most eji tensive work, capable of prolonged de- ! fem s, but the enemy had abandoned it 'early in the night, retreating in the grea- ! test alarm and confusion, as described by j a few negro women, who were found in | the Uwn A large number of wagons, I munitions and a conciderable store of pro vi- ois were found in the tow , aud the . road was stri wn for many miles with arms | and < ccouterments. A number of deserters also made their I escape and came within our lines, who i stated tin t they had received intelligence that large numbers ol Federal tronns were ll.ndingon York River a! ove Williamsburg to fl nk them. The S cond New Hampshire R“giment ! had 16 killed. 66 wounded and 23 mi«I sing. New York. May f)—The Herald’s ' correspondent gives the following graphic I account of the magnificent charge of Han- : cock’s Brigade on the rebels: 8 rarcely a hundred yards were between | the rebels an ! the guns when our skir- ■ mish-fire b came silent. The lines o f the Fifth Wisconsin and the Forty third New York formed un in close order to the right of the battery. The long range of musket barrels CAtew ito one level, and one terrible vollev tore through the rebel line, hi » moment more the same long range of muskets | came to another level, and the order to I charge with the bayonet given, end away l went the two regimen's with one gl»d : cheer. GaU ’nt as ovr foes undoubtedly were, they could not meet, that But few ; brigades mentioned in history have done ; better than this did. For a space, which was generally nstij mated at three-quarters of a mile, they advanced tin ier fire of a splendidly-serv-jed battery, and with n clond o f skirmish era stretchifl across their front, whose fire was verv destructive; a<u| if, after that, the rebels had not the nerve to meet n line of havonelß that came toward them like the spirit of di siructinn. it need not ‘he won!*re<l at They broke end fled ,in complete panic. On* hundred and j forty five were taken prisoners, end near ■ ,1 five hundred were killed and wounded. «•» '«*». >•* . — Gen McClellan’ dispatch tn the War ( Department Rava he has formed a junct'on with Gen Franklin's forces, and that his whole army were in motion. H* speaks in the most glowing terms of the spirit and bearing of his troops. Th* ; Galena was aground in James river, bul notsuionslv so On the Ist of Mav Gen Curtis occupied Bateaville, Arkansas, the carutal ot Tnd« pendance count v county His forces nre distributed along a line extending from that place to Sulphur Rock, twelve miles «a«t. Gen. Steele's advauc'r occu pied Jacksonport m the 21.

NO 15.