Decatur Eagle, Volume 6, Number 28, Decatur, Adams County, 14 August 1862 — Page 1

nnT H E ill! DEC A T U R EA G LE.

VOL 6.

DECATUR EAGLE. is ISSUED EVERY THURSDAY MORNING, BY A . J : II ILL, EDITOR, PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR. OFFICE—On Second Street, In Patterson’s building, over the Drug Store. Terms of Subscription: ■One coy. one year, in advance, $1 00 If paid within the year, 1 50 If not. paid until the year has expired, 2On (TTNo paper will be discontinued until all arrerages are paid except at the option of the Publisher. Terms of Advertising: One square,(ten lines) three insertions, $1 00 I Each subsequent insertion, 25 iEFNo advertisement will be considered less than one square; over one square will be counted and charged as two; over two, as three, etc, lIIPA liberal discount, from the above rates, made or. all ad vertisements inserted for a period longer three months. IlrThe above rates will be strictly adhered ; to under all circumstances. JOB PRINTING: We are prepared to deal! kinds of job-work ina neat and workmanlike manner,on themest reasonable terms. Our material for the completion of Job-It ork, being new and of the latest styles, we feel confident that satisfaction can be giveu. - AFTER Aid. The apples are ripe m the orchard, The work of the reaper is done, .And the golden woodliimls redden In the blood of dying sun. At the cottage door the grandsire Sits pale in his easy chair," While the 'gentle wind of twilight Flays with his silver hair A woman is kneeling beside him. A fairyoung head is pressed , In the first wild passion of sorrow. Ag: inst his aged breast. And farfrom over the distance The faltering echoes come Os the flyingblast of trumpet And the rattling roll of drum. And the grandsire speaks in a whisper,— “Theend of man can see: But we give him to his country, And we give our prayers to Theo.” The violets star the meadows, The rose buds fringe the door, And over the grassy orchard The pink white blossoms pour. But the grandshire’s chair is empty. The cottage is dark and st; t, — There’s a nameless grave in the battle field. And a tew one under the hill. And a pal ’ tearless woman, By the cold hearth sits alone, And the old cl ek in the corner. Ticks on wit.hja sieedy drone. Why is a hog like a tree?—Because it roots. Why i» a letter K, like a hogs tail? — Because it’s at the end of pork. Wnat is the enu eofrailwa" accidents? — The Engineerin a. ->-*li — il. “Gentlemen of the jury,” said ar, Arkansas lawyer, “would you set a rat trap to catch ab« ar? Would you mak» so Is of yourselves by endeavoring to spear a buffalo with a knitting-needle? No. gentlemen; lam sure you would not Then, gentlemen, how can you be guilty of the absusdity of finding my client guilty of manslaughter for taking the life of a woman. XSTA good story is told of a Conneticut parson. His country parish raised his salary from S3OO to $ 100 The good man’ objected (or three reasons. “First, ’ said he, because you can’t afford to give me more than three hundred. Second, because my preaching isn’t worth more than three hundred. Third, because I have to collect my salary, which heretofore has been the hardest part of ruy labors among you HI have to collect an additional hundred it will kill me.” A Soldier’s Wife Objecting to an Exchange. A private of th. Twentieth Massachusetts regiment was taken prisoner at Balis Bluff last fall, and confined at Salisbury, North Carolina. Some weeks since a friend called upon his wife with the assurance that her husband would probably be exchanged for a rebel then in our hands. "I wont have him.” cried the woman in alarm; “I love Tom and won’t have him exchanged; I don’t want a rebel husbaud.” The friend corrected the woman’s misapprehension; the absent hueband was finally released, and •be learned that for once “exchange was no robbery.”

DECATUH, ADAMS COUNTY, INDIANA, AUG. 14, 1862.

Parrott Guns. The cost of the smallest Parrott gun—-6-pound r—is 8200; frr 200 pounders, 1 82,000 each, which is said to be one-tenth the cost of the Armstrong gun. The charge of powder is one pound to every ten of the ball, and the cost of powder an I shell for every discharge is nearly 840. The weight of the 200 pounder Parrott is little more than one half of the columbiad, which carries the 150-pound solid shot, or the 10-inch shell. The practice with these guns is excellent. Experiments are made daily, and with an accuracy most astonishing. The I shriek of the ball, as it flies throngh the air at a velocity of over six hundred miles j per hour, is like that of a railroad train al full speed. Reports of the Evacuation of Richmond. Camp of the Second Corps of the Army of Virginia, August 4—Reports are frequently received here, through i various channels, that the rebel army of I Richmond has been removing from the I city southward for the last ten d ivs. The sources through which some of these reports came are entitled to full credence. It is added t at among the causes of the evacuation of Richmond are the exhaustion of the country north of the James, the int-ctious and pestilential amios phare, and the superior advantages of the Jamess as a line of defense. It is also stated t.hey intend to maintain an open railroad connection with the Valiev, via Lynchburg, Charlo’tsv He and Gordonsville to Stanton to the last moment, as a reserve for supplies. Your corre-pondent will not vouch for the accuracy of these statements, but is at liberty to say that they receive a certain degree of credence in high quarters. Abolition Logic —According to Gree ley, there are a host of Abolitionists who will not fight “because the war is not one of emancipation ” What are they waiting for? For the triumph of rebellion and i the consequent perpetuation of slavery? . They preler that the North should be ' beaten, because a p oclamation of freedom 'to the negroes (which would be about ■ as silly and as effective as Chinese proclamations to the outside barbarirns) is not made at once! Such is Abuii'ion logic, and unless the alternative of tiie propI os'tions—cowaidice—be accepted, shows ■ that the hearts of Greeley anj his folI lowers are as dead to tee cause of our country and Union as those of the bitterest Secessionists.— Albany (A*. K Argus anil Allas, Ambulance Corps.—Now that the ’ Government is preparing for the immense army of over a mi lion of men, which I will soon be in he field, we desir to call particular attention tu the necessity oi organizing a full and efficient ambulance , I corps. Civilians can perform lhe s-rvi ■ ces required of this corps quite as well, if I n t better than sol tiers, la battle every 1 wounded man should be immediately ta- ; ken to the rear; but soldiers should not be allowed to leave the ranks to perform i this duly The soldiers should have nothing to do but to fight, and the ambu lance corps should be large enough to relieve them of the necessity of caring for the wounded. No European army is • without such a corps. It is indispensa , hie to an efficient army. We ought to have one immediately. i J One Great Cause of the Sickness and In* efficiency es Our Army—Want of Strictness in the Examining Physicians. We make the following ex'ract from the report of the United States Sanitary ’ Commii-ion. just made and forwarded to Mr. Linc >ln The Commissioners say: I “The careless and superficial medical inspection of recruits made at least twen- ’; ty five per cent of the volunteer army raised las’ year not only utterly useless, but a positive incumbrance and emhsrrass- ; ment, filling our hospitals with invalids, : and the whole country with exaggerated notions of the dangers of war, that now seriously retard the recru ting of the new J levies we so urgently need.” Such men, after having endured a i week’s hardship, are totally unfitted for ' j duty, and become a burden to the army. It is in this way that the army cf the . Union which once numbered nei.ri', 700, 000 men is now reduced toabou' loO.O'iO It is to be hoped Chat, in the acceptance ' of the new volunteers for three years, and 1 of the drafted militia for nine months, . I this culpable carelessness of the medical H inspectors of the army will not exist, i The efficiency of the service is greatly ' i impaired by it. There are stout healthy, able-bodied men enough who can stand ' fatigue and not be an incumberance to ■ the army, and the Government should i have no other class. Weak, feeble, inI efficient men should be instantly rejected • and the standard of the recruit for health I and strength fixed at a high point. We t want men who can fight, and not men to fill hospitals.

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

A Religious Dog —The New York ! correspondent of the Boston Journal is responsible for the following: In the ancient and beautiful town of Ch .lham. New York, is a very remarkable dog, whose character and behavior would excite the admiration of all good men. On week days he is a dog ot like passions and behavior with other animals, but on Sunday his peculiarities and sectarian prejudices shine out. Unlike the crow, he can count, aid knows when Sunday comes. He is not the name then las on other days. He indulges in no pastimes. He encourages no company and no familiarity. He says in actions louder than words to the vain and canine 'race—“Six days shall CLou play and do al! your sports.” The family are all Presbyterians, but . the dog is a Mathooist. On Sunday mornings he attends the family on their way io chuich, leaves them at the door I< f the houe of the Lord where they attend, and then goes on his solitary and unbroken way till he etnas to the Me h- ; odist church, which is a little further on When he reaches the church he goes tip stairs, and has a p rtieular place in which Ihe sits; and when an in ruder ventures into his place, no bel e or madam of fashion. who goes sweeping up the aisle of Grace and finds a plebeian in her elegant pew, can give more indications of displeasure and annovaoce than does the dog. His seat yi. IJed, lie attends the service with decorum, and pays dog metical attention to the word of Scripture ; Every Sunday he can be seen on hi* way to church, foul weather a* in fair—an.-l i his denominati nal prejudices are as well known as those of any gentleman in town. —— in •— —i— Milk for the Soldiers. Genera) McC ellan recently telegra ,hed to Washington that he could not net milk for sick soldiers; that the Secessionists would not furnish it, and that the Uni so men charged high prices. General Halleck telegraphed back: "If Secessionists won’t turni-di milk, seiz-> their cows and milk them yourselves. Have a military Board to fix the price at which Unionists i shall sell, and, if they refuse to take that i price, seize from them also.”— Sew For.'c Tribune. ——— — f The Vicksburg Canal —The story , ■ has been ev-ry where publshed hat the Vicksburg canal is a siupi-ndons failure, j the bottom oi il being tull five feet above i lhe water in the river We have not been told, however, whal will he the result ( I w hen the river ris , as it is now at low water mark. How n.anv miles inland : will Vicksburg be after the first great freshet? Arrest of Belle B >yd-the Female Rebel N,,y. : Wasliihgton'Curre.poiideiice of the N V . Herald The notorious female spy, Belle Boyd. . i familiarly known as the betrayer tis our forces al Front Royal, whereby 'he gallant command of Colonel Kinley was I slaughtered and captured, was arrested I at Winchester on Wednesday last, and is . (now coruued in the Old Capitol prison. Romancers have given this female undue | | repute by describing her as beautiful j and educated. She is merely a brusque I talkative woman, perhaps twenty-five . ■ (years of age, red-haired, with keen, I I courageous gray eves. Her teeth are j i prominent, and she is meager in p.-raon. ( There is a certain dash and naivete in her manner and speech that might be called fascinating; but she is by no means I possessed of brilliant qualities, either of; mind or body. Being insanely devoted i to the rebel cause, she resolved to act as ’ a spy within lhe Union lines, an 1 man- 1 aged in divers ways to recommend her- , self to our officers. One of the Generals : formerly stationed in the Shenandoah Valley is mentioned rather oddly as as-; , sociated with her and Belle boasts that she once wrapped a rebel flag around his l head. Our young officers, dazzled, perh .pa took her out riding often, and she was frequently a habitant ol our camps in : the Shenandoah. From the facts gleamed in this way of . 1 our movements and projects, she kept up | a pretty regular hud' it of intelligence, and the enemy was r I vised of our tav> r-' > ite designs. She admitted in prison to. ’ day that she had informed Jackson of < ur i situation at Front Royal; but this she said was done io p-event lhe effusion of blood. Passing through bcr native p! ie“ j she was groanad at by lhe citizens on I Thursday. The proper people of Mar-| tinsburg have steadily disliked her. She passed, indeed, if not for a village courtesan, at least for something not far removed from that relation. A leading. . Secessionist of Washington visited her in jail to-day, where her quarters are comfortable, and gave her luxuries, borne , gentlemen likewise waited upon her.’ She talked with them at random, end with much abandon, and said that she 1 . intended to be paroled. A soldier guards her room, and paces up and down con

tinually before the door. Her own ad i missionswill convict her of being a spy. I She was dressed today in a plain frock, low in t e neck, and her arms were bare. Jackson, it appears, is her idol; and she I gave vent to romantic desires to occupy' his tent nnd share his dangers. Shu lakes her arrest as a matter of course, and is smart, plucky and absured as ev-1 er. A lunatic asylum might be recommended for her. Rumors from Richmond The rumors from Richmond are very s’range and contradictory. Stories ol the evacuation of the city are rile. They seem to be ridiculous, yet they keep coming up from the rebel capital. Il there is nothing in them it is probable that they are purposely set ..float by agents of the rebel leaders to mislead General Halleck. The fact that Ewell is throwing up inlrenchments at Gordons vj| eis somewhat surprising. It look* as if he ba4 a email force. Some ol the 1 rebels of that region claim that i; is a bit of strategy which will unfold itself ere long. The interpretation pul up il l in certain quarters here is that I. ell means t“ lortifv Gordonsville, leaving , only a s nail force there, and push with his main body upon Fredericksburg, or down lhe Shenandoah, i crimps Bumside may b<- rushing around somewhere to Mock such a game. The Government was impelled to the new call I r 3U0,1J00 more men by the conviction that the rebels aie bringing out their whole strength. The evidence upon this head is concluive. The rebels are doing all they can. The only question is respecting their capacity. Well Informed persons argue ! that it is impossible for them to raise I half a million men, and some do not be- , live they have over three hundred thousand troops in all their armies to day.— Other persons think that they have half a million. The New Monitors—Pestilence in Rich Cloud—State of the Rebel Army. New York, A gust 9.—Mnrshal Murray construes the order ol the Secretary •of War so as to place no restrictions on local travel. One of the new Monitors will be ready lin a few days; anolheron the Ist of Sep- | tember, and the others as quickly as possible. Eight are being constructed, and workmen are engaged on them day and I night. The Commercial learns from a gentleman who lolt Richmond on the Ist, that a fearful pestilence is raging in that city, I and that hundreds are dying daily. The i.-'vel army, which uumbc.s 200,000, is in fei.-lui state of destitutin ' — The general headquarters and < largproportion of the army is removed to the (south side of the river. Although the army is so large, the leaders find it im passible to bring mure than 100,000 men into the field at one time. - Federal* Evacuate Malvern Hill. j Fortress Monroe, August 8 —By the ! mail boat from Harrison’s Landing it is I reported that the Federals had fallen back to Harrison's Lauding, leaving ' Malvern Hill to the rebels, after accora--1 plisbing lhe object of the reconnoissance. j The weather is the hottest of lhe season. Murder or General Robert McCook. The dispatches announce that General (Robert McCook was murdered while riding in his ambulance in advance of bis brigade, near Decherd, Tennessee. General McCook belonged in this State : lie was prostrated by sickness, and hence wes riding in advance <>f his regiment tn his ambulance. Will not a severe retribution overtake such assassins? 'The State Journal addi: “Colonel Dan McCook, brother of the murdered officer, read the dispatch in our presence just as it was received: an t even in the agony of bereavement his thoughts c ould not be restrained • m the idea of wreaking a terrible vengeai :>■ on the c vardly assassins who could i .rder Ibis jrother while alone and prosi- te in "icknes*; and through his grinding teeth came Hie stern resolve, ’l’ll never take another rebel prisoner as long as God gives me breath!’ General Robert Mo Couk was a model officer. Cool, courageous, prompt in action and rigorous in (discipline, he was always the soldier’s friend, beloved and admired by his whole brigade. This act will stir the blood of that brigade so that henceforth there will ;be few prisoners taken by that brigade. The murder of their brave an I gallant commander wi 1 be remembered; and the cry of the cursed guerrillas for ‘quarter’ will fall upon leaden ears.’ No Volunteers to be Received in Indiana After August 15. Indianapolis, August 9.—Governor Morton has officially announced that all volunteers for three years or the war will be received up to the morning of August 16, and aftei that date uo voluatcer* will

Ibe received or bounties paid. The preparations for the enrollment of the mili'ia ' and drafting, to fill the recent order for I 300,01)0, are going on rapi ily, and will be completed by the 15 h inst. Instruct- | ions as to the conducting the draft have been received from the War Department. I Gen’l M’Clell in take* the Offensive—Reconnoissaucu M ithia 10 Miles Os Richmond. Headquarters Army of lhe Potomac,( Wednesday, -Aug. 6'h. j The Army of the Potomac has again assumed the offensive. The rceo.ionisance made yesterday under Gene r al Hooker to Malvern Hill, ( Whio O-k Swunp Bridge and in the direct.on ut New M irket and Richmond liras, in every r spect, a complete success. Tne troops left camp i.buut dark, night before la>t, arriving a' Malvern H it at 4 J o’clock yesterday mornlug, a distance of , ten miles. Here they encountered 2 reg-ime-jts of infanti y .and a battery post, d behind earthworks. Fire was immediately opened on them by C 'pt. Bensons batter, aud a section of Capt. Robinsons .(Ths infantry was not engaged. The filing lasted about 3 hours wLur. the reb (i els inglorious’y fled bv the river road to; Richmond, hotly pursued by our troops |* ho succeeded in tak ng 100 of them pri-oners. The loss oa ur side at this i point was 3 killed and 11 wounded. Capt. Benson had his thigh broken by a piece of shell. The doctors think the leg can be saved. Lieut. Col. Gamble, of ; the Bt.h Illinois cavalry, was severely wounded in the breast while driving in the enemy's pickets. Col. Averi'l, with 500 cavalry, took the Quaker road to White Oak Swamp Bridge .‘There they found the 10th Virginia cavalry drawn up to receive them. A charge l was imaiediati ly ordered, which broke ( the rebel lines, when they fled. Col. j j Averill followed them three miles, ta- > king twenty-eight prisoners without los- ; ing a man. . | Gen Pleasanton, with a force of cav- , i airy, took .he New Market roed on which , a portion of the rebels were retreating. |Hu followed 'hem to within a short dis- ’ , tance of New Market, where, meeting two brigades of rebel*, he fell back, . I bringing ov t thirty prisoners taken on I the way. New Market is ten miles from I Richmond. j This ended the operations for the day when the troops went into camp on M 1t vern Hill. Gen. McClellan, who went to the scene ' of action early yesterday morning, has . jnot returned. Three thousand of our prisoners will , arrive to-day from Richmond, in exchange for a similar nn n'i r .ent up on Monday. , Everything quiet on the opposite side of ihe river. 1 Foreign News —Th- American Question in France—Comments of the Loudon Press. > Cape Race, August 8 —The following is a duplicate ol the news, per City of i Baltimore which sailed on the 39th, but| , the Jura anticipated her arrival; The Parts correspondent of the London Times be'i ves the American question ,(occupies the most serious attention of' 1 Napoleon, and that a council of minister* (had been held upon it. He would not be surprised if the matter was laid before ' the English Government in a still more ‘ pressing oanner, with a view of a speedy • solution Hu urges that the movement ! must be speedy, too, if our mission would ’i b of J. . , in view of the possible re- ' election of the present Congress. He ■ suv t 'I do not inter. 1 tn say whether ll'« movement will be followed by any immeuiate '.■-cl — whether France will I take the lead with th expectation that ■ ’ E.igland can not do otherwise than follow or whether both will at the Mina time—l I, >n!y know that. France is convinced that *, th t nresent moment is tne moat oppnr- ( 5 : tune fir united action.” lie insinuates ( 1 that L.ncoln and some of his advisers! r would not object Co some gentle pres--1 sure. 1 , The Times, editorially, continues to I noint out the Federal prospects ns most: ‘ gloomy but the Daily News combats such 5 ! views, and speaks of Northern policy with I " continued confidence. ’ Most of the London journals allude to s the financial crisis in America, and re--1 peat their strictures upon the false finanf cial policy of the Government. Even the 1 Star charges the Washington Cabinet ■ with the most deplorable igno. anceof ‘ true economy. ; ; The Times figures that if the position. had been reversed, the Americans would I ' never have recog. ized the blockade as England has done, but would have broken 1 it under a plea of self preservation. 1 Some of the journals attack Archbishop, r Hughes for certain revolutionary remarks d which he made in a speech in the Dublin 1 Parliament House t ! ——-— — I X Doni read any more on this column.

Incidents of the Exploit Against tbo Rain Arkansas. In connection with this subject. I cau not forbear to mention particularly Lieut. J ones M, Hunter, of the Sixty third Illinois, io whom lhe success of the expedition, such as il was, is greatly owinq. Lieutenant Hunter was on the Queen on the day of the reconnoissance up th Yazoo, w.enthe r>.m and the gunboa first met the foimidable rebel descendii the river, and was severely censured by the Captain of the Taylor for not butting her. Indeed the Captain preferred charges against him tor incompet ncenby, though investigation proved —as there was a misun I -rstanding in regard to the command cf the ram, and that its course had been changed without lhe Lieutenant’s knowledge or consent —that the Lieutenant was really not to blame for her avoidance of the Arkansas. Col. Eyet, believing the Lieutehnnt • trustworthy ar.d gallant fellow, was anxious io give h:m an opportunity to prove liims.-it such, .nd Co redeem himself from the a-per<ions put upon him. Consequently, Yesterday, lhe Colonel a«ked lhe officer if he would like to volunteer 'or the dangerous expedition, and the Lieutenant, with l.'s eyes suffused with emotion declared he would not miss the opportunity for untold gold, even though he felt a<«ured he was goin • to his death. | Right gallantly did the Lieutenant redeem himself on the momentous occasion. The Colonel placed him below to watch the firemen, and prevent them from deserting heir post under any circumstances. It was well be did so, for when tii« ram struck the Ark insas several of the firemen, who thought the boileis were about to explode, were on lhe point of leaping overboard, and would havb done so had not Lieutenant Hunter drawn Ins revolver and threatened to blow out the ; brains of the first man who should enl deavor to quit his position. In this way, no doubt, the rmn and crew were s ived by the firmness and unflinching of the patriotic and determined Lieutenant. Rather an amusing instance occurred on the Queen during the engagetn nt. — 1 Granville Roberts, one of the engineers of the Switzerland, and a nephew of Uol. Ellet, volunteered for the expedition, and while in the eng.ne room siw a number of shot pass through the boat, and a close proximity to the machinery r. his own person. A cylindrical shot fe a tew feet from him, and thinking it migl be a shell, lie hid behind a coal pile to escape the explosion he expected. While in that position he happened to observe one of our large thirteen-inch bombs that had been placed on board, and his first impression was that it ha! been thrown through the vessel bv the rebel batteries He thought there was no use in endeavoring to escape that, and waited for a i few seconds, which seemed hours to his excessively anxious mind, expecting to be blown to atoms every moment. That he was not pained when be discovered his mistake, and fell somewhat relieved by his iscovery, may, without much effort, ' be readily conceived. Thom>s Jordan, a sharpshooter, wbei the steam-pipe was struck with a j felt confident the boiler exploded a: immediately jflmped into the riv. r. was feared the poor fellow had be i> lost, but before two hours had passed he made bis appearance unhurt. The rebels fired at hi u with their rifles and muskets while lin the water, crying out, “kill 'he d— d( Yankee!” but failed to strike him, and be aoon twain ashore. Jordan says as many as titty bullets must have struck within a few inches of his head, and that if lie had not dived every few seconds he would certainly have been killed. His was certainly a narrow escape, and proves what singular good fortune attended the perilous experiment of tl.j the Queen, aven to the smallest circumstances. •«< i m. —i —- 1 Destruction ot the Rebel Kam Arkansaw I Washington, Augu t 10. —Thefoiiow- ' ing Richmoo 1 dispatch is contained iu the Petersburg Express of yest-. rday; Gen. (Van Doin has telegraphed to Secretary Mallory that the Ram Arkancas, Lieutenant Stephens commanding, had been i destroyed. She left Vicksburg, on Moo- ( day, to co-operate in the attack on' Baton I Rouge. After passing Bayou Sara her machinery became disabled, end while attemyting to repair it, several of the enjetny’s gunboats attacked her. Altera igr'Jant resistance she was abandoned and blown up Officers and men reached the ' shore in safety. Stampede to Canada Stopped. Deorit, Mich , March 9 -The stampede into Canada of persons liable to military duly, which has been going oa briskly for several davs, were effectually atoppod to days by rigid enfoicemeut of Secretary Stanton’s order. The. best counsel for plaintiff and de fendaut —Dea l go to !»•.

NO 28.