Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1912 — The CIVIL WAR [ARTICLE]

The CIVIL WAR

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK

December 24, 1851. : ... ... _ . L General Pope’s cavalry sent .to LexHagton, Missouri. They captured two Confederate captains, one lieutenant, a number of horses and accoutreand destroyed the foundry and .ferry boats. *• The War Department of the United Stltes latfted Ordefs stopping she enlistment or cavalry men in the army, having already enough in that arm. Blufftown, South Carolina, was occupied by Federal troops under General Steven? It was found deserted. A bill to increase the duties on tea, coffee, sugar and molasses passed the Congress of the United States. The duties were raised to twenty cents a pound on tea. to five cents on coffee, to ttvo and a half, three and five cents on sugar. and to six cents qn molasses. It was estimated that the increase would add $6,000,000 annually to the revenues of the government. A card from J. J. McKeever, president of an organization known as the “Southwest Company,” appeared In the Memphis Appeal to .announce that a third special messenger would leave Memphis ontbe first of January, “taking mail matter for all parts of the world.” December 25, 1861. The steamer Florida, C. S. N., steamed out of the harbor of Mobile, Alabama, at noon on Christmas day, to engage the Federal steamer New London. The Florida ran down to the westward of Sand Island and challenged the enemy fight, challenge was accepted, and a cannonading ensued that lasted upward of an hour. The firing was at long range, owing to ..the shallow water of a bar that intervened between the two vessels, keeping them at a distance. No serious damage was sustained by either belligerent. The lighthouse on Morris Island, in •Charlestown harbor, was blown up by order of the Confederate military authorities. with the purpose of depriving the blockading fleet of the benefit of the beacon. In spite of General Halleck’s recent order threatening death to anyone burning bridges or destroying- railroads in Missouri, two spans of the bridge across the Charlestown river on the Hannibal and St. Joseph railroad were burned by Confederates. -j Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis was appointed to command the Federal forces in southwestern Missouri. Martial law was extended by order of the national government to all railroads in Missouri, December 26, 1861. Senator Hale of New Hampshire offered a resolution in the senate of the United States calling on the. president for copies of all dispatches that had passed between this government and the government of England relating to «the controversy over the seizure of. Messrs. Mason and Slidell from the British steamer Trent. In a speech on his motion, be advocated a war with Great Britain in preference to the restitution of the Confederate envoys. Mr. Sumner objected to a consideration of the motion, and it was laid over. 'X/Gen. Winfield Seo'it arrived at New York on the steamer Arago from Europe. He reported, that the party in Europe advocating a war with the United States was “greatly encouraged in their cry for blood.” Major Ousley, of Colonel Haggard’s command, with a small body of national troops, fought off a force of Confederate cavalry that attacked while they were eating supper in a hotel near Camp Boyle, K.v. Major Gower, commanding a squadron of lowa cavalry, returned to Jefferson City, Mo., with prisoners and ten wag onloads of stores taken from the Confederates. The Confederate Gen. John B. Floyd issued an address to the .troops of his command from his camp, near Dublin «tppot,. m whicli he praisedthem for their conduct during the campaign of the last five months, and urged them , to respond to the compliment that had been paid them by the Confederate government in ordering- them to the defense of Kentucky. December 27, 186 L Information was received at Washington’that Col. Canby, U. S. Ai, had retaken Forts Craig and. Stanton, on the Masilla border, and was on his way to Fort Filmore, which had been surrendered by Colonel Lynde, since dismissed from the service, to an inferior force of Confederates froth Texas. Canby intended marching thence to Arizona. The Federal General Wool issued ah order from Fortress Monroe deploring the recent burning of buildings at New Market Bridge by Union soldiers in retaliation for the destruction by Confederates of the property ofdDederal sympathizers, and expressing “his decided -disapprobation of such proceedings on the part of our troops.” The buildings at New Market Bridge had been burned by order of Gengr Mansfield. rX ; VX ; The -Confederate privateer Isabel suceeefed M mnning the blockade off Charlestown on the night of December 26. a»d getting to sea. There were nf Hie blockading squadron off the harbor at the time. The ggnbpat 'Pocahontas was sent in purgggt, but coaid not overhaul the Isabel.

Bridge burnixg continued in Missouri. The bridges over the North Fabius river, on the Palmyra railroad, were destroyed by a band of Confederates. j,;- ■ ( Arthur Rankin, a member of the Ca-‘ nadian parliament, who had enlisted in the Federal army, resigned and returned to Canada, consi<h?ring''further service, in the- United .Staten r_-atray improper, in view of the strained relations Great Britain and the United States?" The Confederate Army of Virginia went into winter quarters in the'jvicinity of Manassas. : : „x / ■- X~ December 28, 1861. The diplomatic correspondence between the governments of France and Great Britain and the United States. Tii relation lb .the'seizure of Messrs. Mason and Slidell on hoard the Trent, was made public. The first was a note from Secretary Seward so Mr. Adams, United States minister to England, briefly mentioning the incident, stat-. ing that the action of Captain Wilkes was without the authority of the government, and trusting that the English government would consider the subject in a friendly temper. Followed a note from Earl Russell to Lord Lyons, declaring the act an affront to the English flag and a violation of International law, and demanding the restitution oif the envoys -to the protection of the English flag, and an apology from the American government. Mr. .Seward’s response to this, after reviewing at great length the points of international law invdlved, expressed the conclusion that the>~ United States government would be wrong in refusing to return the persons captured, and stating that the four persons taken by Captain Wilkes (Messrs. Mason and Slidell and their secretaries) would be cheerfully liberated ns soon as a time and place should be appointed for receiving them. No apology was offered, however, there having been no offense intended. ~T.sra Lyons replied that he would forward the document to his home government, and would make immediate arrangements for again placing the envoys under the protection of the English flag. The closing of the incident was generally approved in the north and regretted in the south, where much hope had been built on the prospects of a war between the United States and Great Britain.'' General Prentiss, with 450 Federal troops, met and defeated a Confederate force under Colonel Dorsey near Mount Zion, Boosie .county, Mor*-*— A squadron of Col. Jackson’s Federal cavalry under Major Murray, on a reconnoisance near Sacremento, in the Green River valley, Ky., was roughly handled and driven from the field by a Confederate force under Colonel Forrest. Captain Bacon of the Nationals was killed. December 29, 1861. Commander Porter, TL S. N., and several officers of the Federal army narrowly escaped capture by a company of Confederates under Jeff. Thomson at Commerce, Mo., 40 miles below Cairo. Thompson's men had raided the town, which was strongly Federal in its sentiment, and had concealed themselves behind the landing for the purpose of capturing tue steamer City of Alton, which was expected. When the steamer came in sight, Mrs. Eversole, wife of a citizen, ran down to the landing and warned the pilot, in spite of the threats of Thompson’s men that they" would shoot her. The steamer reversed her engines and backed oft just before she touched the landing. The Confederates fired several volleys at her, riddling her cabin, but injuring no one. Commander Porter and the military-men were passengers on her at the time. ■'* A Confederate tug played havoc with marine traffic between Old Point and New port News for a few hours in the morning, chasing the steamer Empress, in the passenger and freight trade, and capturing the schooner Sherwood, carrying water from Newport News, which was in tow of the Empress. The tug carried a commodore's blue pennant, which was mistaken for b flag of truce until she opened fire. The Empress escaped by crowded on ail steam. The Confederate General Huger sent a note to Gen. Wool announcing that he was ready to send 240 prisoners of war down the James river from Richmond as soon as they could be received. ' ’ ‘ „ December 30, 1861. The secretary of the treasury of the Confederate states, in his correspondence with the Tennessee delegation in the Confederate congress, announced The inability of the Confederate govrnmeat to reimburse Tennessee for the sums expended by the state in defense of-the Confederacy. Messrs. Thomas and Burnett of Kentucky were sworn in as members- of the Confederate congress and took their seats as representatives of their state. They were chosen by the provisional government. Acting Master Alick Allen and Acting Master Henry L. Sturgess of the L T . .S. S. Mount Vernon were sent in a duller and a gig to destroy a Confederate lightship in use off Wilmington, N. C. They found the light ship deserted, althougb piereed forguns and almost prepared for harbor defense. The vesesl was fired, al|d> the members of the expedition, escaped through the fire of Confederate batteries-.that opened on tbenJu The original legal tender bill was intraduced in the house of represent*-;. tives of the United States congress by E. G. Spaulding of New York. The * banks of Philadelphia, New York and Boston suspended specie payment. X X' ; -/ X; (Copyright, 19Q. by W. O. ChapmaaJ