Mt. Vernon Democratic banner (Mount Vernon, Ohio : 1853), 1862-03-18

              TGLUME The Amos Kendall Letters. . JVwa 4i ; woiyfe National InUUigene-, Feh. 17 OBJECT OF THE The subjoined letter, (the initial number of . a brief series, from the pen of a . public man well known to the whole country, and who in the present crisis has signalized his devotion to the cause of the Union, was originally sent Jto ns for insertion without .the signature of the writer. Though desiring, from considera- v tion, of modesty, to write anonymously, he was induced at our reouest. to attach his name to these letters, and thus give to them f&e weight of his authority : . LETTER NO. 1. 2V Abraham. Lvncobi President of the U.S. ." Kxsfxctsd Sir: I do not adddrees you for the purpose of censure or advice. From boyhood to old age I have belonged to the Democratic party of the country. My political creed in common with that of my party throughout the North, has been and now is, devotion to the Constitution as it came from the hands of Washington and his compatriots, and to the rights of the States reserved by theul on the Adoption of that instrument. We look upon the structure composed of tbe States ead the Union as our temple of lib erty of which the States are the pillars and the Union the roof, ficmore the pillars and the roof will fall, remove the roof and the pillars will be overthrown by the storms of anarchy and war, and our country will be strewn with runs mre melancholy than those which lit prostrate or stand shattered on the sites of ancient cities. - " Ruthless hands have seized upon and are attempting to remove a portion of the pillars of our temple, at the hazard of crushing themselves and us in its fall, and the insane hope of building a new temple for themselves out of tae rums. Though L- the Democratic party of the North were always willing to make all reasonable or even tolerable concessions to satisfy their allies in the South, yet, as a body, no party is more devoted to the Constitution and the Union. It was devotion to the Union which induced them to make concession after concession to quiet the apparent apprehensions view was the preservation of the Union and the Constitution to the interests and safety of the Southern States in particular, that many f them could not, until the assault on Fort Sumter, be convinced that the leaders ofSoutb- ern agitation . had anything in view beyond farther guarantees fbr'their local institutions. vc.:! r - bellion. Bofwheil ConViacedTby the thunder of rebel cannon and the flames of Fort Sumter, that revolution, and not redress or security within the Union, was the object of the South-era leaders, they did air that honest men could do to retrieve their error; and, notwith standing their political antagonism on minor points, the Democratic party of the North ral lied around your Administration as the only means of saving their country. Your armies abound with them; none are -more ready to sacrifice all that is dear, even life itself, for the preservation of the Union and the Constitu tion, and to them it is cheering, though but just, that you have recently given them a rep- teniative in your iaoi net. "-Be assured, sir, that the Democratic party f the North, with the exception of a few semi- mWam whm ' rkaw ' varvHitis ta AAiwIiaTlw a jprove the objects of the war against rebellion as declared by you in all your public avowals. They rally around you with a devotion to the cause not exceeded by any class of your origi-lal supporters. and they will spare no sacrifice to save the Union and Constitution. In .his great object they are already consolidated with the great, mass of the Republican party tnd will be among Che last to despair. Indeed hese two- parties for all present purposes con-titute but one, which may be appropriately ailed the CowsTrrcTiowau umiow faaTT.- he object of this party in the pending war is preserve the Union: and the Constitution, ais. It is the Constitution, and that only, hick makes us a nation; . destroy it and the atiea will cease to exist, being resolved into irty four independent states. In fighting r the Constitution, therefore, we fight for a ln or the nation, tor all tbat can give us leaee ana security at home and all that can pake na honored and respected abroad. I " The fundamental principle of our Govern ment, that principle which has enabled the Republic to extend itself from the Atlantic to lie Pacific and endow it with a capacity to Unbrace continents and climes within its do minions. S that every thine which relates ex clusively or mainly to local affairs be regnla-jj by local governments, while. the powers of e General Government shall be only as are uisife to promote the peace, happiness and ipenty 4i the : people,, what ever may be sir peculiar custom, laws or domestic insti-l tfens. Ah attack upon this principle is an I auTt upon the Constitution, it is underml v -:. ..i: x. t t ng the foundations of the Republic; it is di-tstuir it of that attribute almost divine, which ke the Government of Heaven, protects alike Wr nt iTOth. 1!owinirTnah to work out his Vn happiness in peaca by the free exercise or s own powera. ' .. , - -. v';; ' iiat we nave a class or men among us who e not content witu suco a Government. y are not Content with the privilege of sha- ng the laws ana lnscicwoons ox tne state m ch they live, according to their own sense risrht and expediency,1 but wish to compel V mam rwtfiAV MmmnnitiH nvr Ka.a leal affairs they have no rightful control, to 'opt their notions,' and' utterly regardless of 3enuai Uiuercnccs is circaouwncei, re-nuouei 1 local lastitutiens y their procrustean stan Ird. And by a ' concerted . effort these men je atUmpting W divert the military power of a couatry irom lis jegnimaie omecii, iu prestation of the Constitution T in its 'integrity, d direct it to the subversion of the funda-;ntal principle pawhich it U based. Such icheae Is yirtually a conspiracy against the nstltulion of the Union fa the -North, giv- effective aid to the rebellion ia the South, (would present the loyal States to' other nana, net aa at present,1 defending an estab-ied Government against- wanton rebellion. t as themselves rebels against the very Xov-:raet ' they-profess 'tobe defending. Jit ,ul uia cast U9 xvorvu iso vn ute siormv ocean revoinuon. bos nzuidur ior any exiatinir ernment, but for sac a as may arise oat of j waves - it may pe many warring otatea or ' -j federacies,' or a military- despotism, based , i tncpiest ana swallowing up the whole. , :a Another letter is shall endeavor more ' - ei?om the dangerand the foyy, orn . ." :' V." LETTER II. How far the United States are one people The defence of local institutions not rebellionA war upon them is a war on the principles of the Con- : stitution It is revolution .North as well as South Itsfatal effects at home and abroad. To Abraham: Lincoln, President of tne United : States: Rkspxctxd Sik : In my last letter I endeav ored to show that the only legitimate object of : : . 1. " . .i T- me pcuuiiig war is iueiui.egrii.jr 01 loeoauODU constituted by the Constitution of: the United States. I shall now attempt to point out some of the consequences to be apprehended from making it a war on the fundamental principles of that Constitution. Let it never be forgotten that we are one people and one nation only sofar as the Constitu tion makes us one. Outside of that bound we are thirty-four peoples and thirty-four nations, none of which have any more right to interfere with the local laws and institutions of the rest than with the laws and institutions of China and Brazil. The people of the States have a right, under the Constitution, to defend their local laws and institutions bv arms, if necessary, and it is the dutv of the United States to uphold and aid them in the attempt. A war confined to such an object would not be rebellion, even through the United States were the aggressor. Just so far, therefore, as the pending war may be waged sgainet Southern institutions, the Southerners in arms will cease to be rebels, and the Northerners in arms will become in truth what thev are now falselv j charged with being the wanton assailants of I ooSlhern rights. . Xet me not be misunder stood. Thus iZT foe war has been confined to an enforcement of the 'Constitution- and laws of the United States, and in their afed resis tance the Southerners are unqualified and un mitigated rebels.- But let the United States abandon this firm and safe platform ; let them announce that the war is hereafter to be waged against the constitutional laws and institutions of the Southern States, and they will measurably relieve the traitors from the odium of causeless rebellion, will give to their cause a color of right, and will nerve their arms for a more desperate resistance. Then, indeed, would the war become one of subjugation prosecuted, not for the purpose of maintaining the Constitution, but in subversion of its fundamental principles. Such a position would be attended with mischievous, if not fatal consequences, both at home and abroad. It would paralyze many a Northerner patriot, who would give his life for the Union, not because be loves Southern institutions, but because he holds sacred the principles of the Constitution, and deems their preservation essential to the maintenance of order and law, as well in the North as the South. All intelligent men know that a Republic as extensive as the United States, embracing such a variety of climates, productions, institutions, opinions, and interests, cannot exist under one consolidated Government and at the i tTtr revolts from the idea of an attack on that fundamental priiveipleof the Constitution which leaves every State free to govern itself in all things which pertain to its local affairs. . In the subversion of that he sees nothing in prospect but a cluster of hostile Republics, like those of Greece, wasting each other in continual wars ; or a great Empire, like that of Rome, in which liberty shall be crushed under the iron rule of an aristocratic Senate or an usurping Caesar. With such a prospect before him, how can any true friend of liberty sustain, with confident hopes and unflagging enthusiasm, the prosecution of this war? But the paralysis which an abandonment of the Constitution would produce in many a Northern arm would not be its only effect. It would, in an equal degree, nerve many -a Southern friend of the Union. It would enable the rebels to say that the North is attempting to subvert constitutional rights which the South is fighting to maintain. It would, in the eyes of the world, mitigate the crime of rebellion by enabling the rebels to assert, with some plausibility, that there was a conspiracy in the .North against their constitutional rights. It would enable them to say to Great Britain and France that the North as well as the South had abandoned the Constitution which made them one people, and become equally revolutionary that the one was as much entitled to be considered and acknowledged a separate and independent people as theother.- -j--"' But it is said that slavery is the cause of the rebellion, and therefore, it should be exterminated. The assertion is but remotely and partially true, and, as far as it is true, by no means justifies the" conclusion. If the mere existence of slavery were sufficient to produce rebellion, the Constitution would never have been formed; or, having been formed, it would not have lived to three score years and ten.- If slavery were of itself sufficient to make men rebels, then all slaveholders would, be rebels. So far is this from the truth that the most considerate among them look upon the Constitution and the Union as the only outside protection which that institution has. In their view, and in that of all disinterested men in other States, that feature of the Constitution which guaranties the return of fugitives from labor, commends it to the cordial and persevering support of all masters who have do object in - i t, . view beyond security in their lawful rights. ro nca international regulation exists else where ia the civilized world, and its . maintenance ought, upon eveT principle of sound reasoning, to have madebiaveholdera the last to give up the Coastitut on. In this view , sla very was a bond of union, so far as the masters were concerned, rather than an element of dissolution And it is in this view that certain meain the North, have denounced the Consti tution aa "a league, with hell.? In another letter I will endeavor to point out the true cause of the rebellion, and how far slavery has fostered them. I shall also at tempt to show that the , warmest friends or emancipation ought to , be satisfied with the progress uieir principles are maaing vuxougu the madness af slave-ownere and the crowing necessities of the pending oonflict. ,, , , - ' : AMOS KENDALL ' February 16, 1862. - . . ; . .;. , h L UTTER III. The Pride of Wealth and JAst for Poieer, foe- ,. tered by the Cotton' Monopoly, the cause of the JieoetUon t Tw elatses qf SlaveholdersOne for the Unionising Cotton an Insult to Great ufirpttnefnd,J!ivncet pCtoupiracygainst To AAXAHAJl Lzxcout, Pr4ident f (h UnMed 't Hespeeted Sir r ltajrlm& it proposed to consider in this letter Che'' causes which' have led to the pending; rebellion, an to ahpw the adrpcatea. of niancipation thiu they-grcress that opsratioaU xdakine.-rli ii"x?.tM-i3iH 9 The cause yt eausts of lh Vhnktf nj e summed up in the single phrase, . Pride tf Wealth and Lust of Power, i These are .not pe culiar to the South, but have their influence in the North aa well.- ' North and South they pervade, with - honorable exceptions, those classes of society which find mean to lire and to enrich themselves without manual tabor. North aa well as South the feelings of tbeae classes revolt against a government controlled 1 - 1 A.fl! M,T - : . 1 uj iue toning millions, ana wouia o vena row it if they could. In - the North the attempt would be hopeless, and the aristocratic classes " i f . - m . i quieuy acquiese in uiings as iney are. in me cotton region of the South the laborers have no political nehts. and the aristocratic classes govern in all that relates to local affairs. But they are not content with that. Their pride revolts al association In any government, however mild and beneficent, in which laboriner men participate directly or indirectly. To cet ria oi sucn a government, though it has been the chief source of all their prosperity; is the object of the oresent rebellion. The avowed design of the South Carolina leaders is the. or ganization or a community composed of gen tlemen and laborers, in which the gentlemen shall be masters and the' laborers their slaves. fo this end they were, before the rebellion broke out, avowedly in favor of re-opening the African slave trade, and have since submitted with a bad grace to a restriction in their Con federate constitution, dictated by an apprehen sion that it would not be safe at present so far l A . ii i : i i 1 1 to uuintgc iue leenug oi me civitizea worm. But there is a considerable class of slaveholders, especially in the border of slavehbld-ing States, who do not entertain this antipathy to labor. It is composed of men of moderate means, owning but few Haves. They are the self made men, whose industry and economy have enabled them to purchase one or more sla ves, and they may often be seen at work in the.same field with their Own negroes. They do lift sympathize with the cotton, rice, and sugar . piaii.er8, wno recKon tneir slaves by hundreds, and wiip never put their own hands to the plow, the hoe. or the axe. These small slaveholders, numerically probably more; nu merous than the richer class, have no repugnance to being associated in a Governinent controlled in part by the laboring men of the North; and they are generally faithful to the Constitution and the Union.' Slavery does not make them rebels. Cation is a more prolific element than slavery in generating the " pride of wealth and the lust of power" which have produced the rebellion, though both have co-operated. Had cot ton, like wheat and corn, been a product of the North as well as the South, its cultivation would not have been a source of inordinate wealth to Southern planters, for the free Jabor of the North would then have ben brought into direct competition with the slave labor of the South, and the price of the article would have been reduced to a moderate profit. But climate has given to the South a monopoly of this culture, and it is a monopoly not all dependent on the existence of slavery. It would still exist as effectually as it does now if slavery were swept out of existence; and the com- The invention of the cotton gin and improve ments in manufacturing machinery - so cheapened the preparation and manufacture of cotton as to bring it into competition, under most favorable conditions, with every other article used in clothing the human family, and the demand for it so rapidly increased that "production could not keep up with it. The consequence was an increase of the price of the raw material until it has reached a point far above that of any article which can be brought in competition with it in the markets of the world. This is not the effect of slavery, but in its causes, though not in its effects, it is entirely independent of that institution. But, by this intervention of the demand for cotton, the slaveholders in South Carolina and a few other States were enable to employ their negroes in a apecies of eulture peculiar to their climate, the profits of which could not be lessened by general competition. Though there has been a prodigious increase of production, the consumption has fully kept pace with it, and up to the breaking out of ttte rebellion, in no part of the earth for the last thirty years, and in no period of history, have. the profits of agricultural labor been so great as in the cotton growing regions of the 'United States. But these profits would have been as great, if not greater bad the Southern production, as the Northern manufacture, been the proceeds of hired free instead of slave labor. With the immense profits of the monopoly the cotton planters became intoxicated, and thought that, by means of their cotton they could rule the world. " Cotton ; is King," they exclaimed; and through his power they aspired to break up the Union and compel Great Britain and France to aid them in fratricidal operation. It has seemed strange to me that the rulers of those nations have not seen in this rebellion, or rather in the means by which the leaders proposed to compass success, an insult to their sovereignty and a conspiracy against the commercial world. Openly they say to those proud nations : " We have the power and intend to use it, by withholding our cotton, to compel you to become our allies under penalty of riot and rebellion among the operatives in your own dominions." If they have any such power it is the interest of the word it should be broken, and one would think that the sagacious Napoleon and the proud Palmers ton, in- , . J.'i.i! . f . - , oieau oi meaiiaiing ineir recognition,; wouia say to them Lay down your arms, and not only give us your cotton, but restore to us the market of an united and peaceful country, without which your raw material ' unit oe comparatively of little value." But I am wandering from my lime of argu ment, and must defer to my next, one blanch intended for this letter.. - ;. Feb. 18, 1862 AMOS KENDALL. ; U The Rational Flag;1" ; The national flag now waves in every State except Louisiana and . perhaps - Alabama. iueveaor the thirty-four otatea are partially controled bj the rebels Virginia, North and South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, . Alabama, MississippH Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee, f But our armies hold the western: northern and eastern portions of Virginia; Hat icraa imei, voanoa Miaua, xxieaion, xaiza-beth CitT, and other points in North Carolina; Hilton Head, Port Royal and Edisto,in South CarolisaiTybee Island and several advanced posts in; Mcorgia; mj. W est, Uedar Keys, Fort Pickens. .Santa Rosa, in . Florida: Shin Island in Mississtppit yirtually taJveston, in Texas; Fayettevule in Arkansas; and rort Henry, FortJUonelson.uiarK8VUa and. ruasnviue in Tenaesseei ; w 5U 20- -WW'- it&'JL ioldier who'aV once, wounded in battleyaeiup man vrho laid inear with-'ibothHeft ehot fl. immediately sung out "Xiad luck to the likes of ye-do ye think, nobody a kilt but your self V'i f.:'r:'r-t '-'Z r-;t r'3 pen. .Hlsck has iesuecl order,.rejuir-ig all tha judgei and yfyera n,tthe Statf f Missouri to take the.oath tf alledance.-i tut ' hJfrom tks London jThe emaacipatioa of the slaves haa been' blow to urWeet. Indian Golosiea. --Where once, prosperity., reigned, therp it now poyerty and distress ; flourishing town have assumed the character of poor country villages, forests have again, taken possession of land once in a high state of cultivation, thouaanda of families have been ruined or become hopelessly invol ved ; whilst the negro, for whose sake- sacri fices se vast have been made,, has hitherto shown no inclination to take advantage of the freedom which the nation generously bestow ed upon him. . Al the predictions of our philanthropists have been falsified. vTha -negro, unless compelled by necessir, will .not work. If he can make sufficient money .in a day to cover the expenses of a whole week he. will only work one day , out of seven ; and he is moreover 1yery chary of entering- into any contract or engagement that can - be enforced by Jaw." The West Indian planters have, since the. day which proclaimed freedom to one and ruin to the other, resorted, but with indifferent success, to every measure that could possibly induce the black to work. Their last ray of hope was that the protection given to colonial sugar would be maintained ;, but when, in 1845, free trade swept away this remnant of an antiquated system, a : general despair' seized the cane-growing community. We happened to be in the steamer which took out the intelligence of the Sugar Act having passed through Parliament, and well remem ber the anxious faces of those who hastened on board to. know whether their doom was irretrievably sealed. For a year or twa the en ergies of the planters were totally paralysed by the repeated blows aimed at their prosperi ty :. only one or two of the smaller islands, in cluding Barbadoes, where labor happened to be" abundant, wheathered the storm. "Jamai ca has to this day not recovered herself. Mr. E. B. Underhill, in his new work, "The West Indies ; their Social and Religious Condition," says : , ' " y '-, . v , . . " There were very, few disposed to Jake a hopeful view of the prospects of the country." The newspapers, with scarcely an evception, represent things in the darkest light and if we may believe the statements unceasingly made, Jamaica is hopelessly ruined. In the usual course of things, the inhabitants of. a country are proud of their -native Viand, are disposed to hide her faults; and to apologize for her weaknesses. In Jamaica it is not so. Planters, officials, clergyinjen,, merchants. shopkeeper,. Beem to tskdehtin er?- -gamsthnowerlivo'or the people, in " and in depreciating the prospects before them. Nothing is right. The Government is extrav-agant and bad. The officers are venal. The legislature if governed by class inteiests, and addicted to 'log rolling. , The planters are poor, their estates worthless, and their cultivation thriftless and unskilful. The people are idle, vain, improvident, unchaste. Their religion is hypocrisy. Their social condition is one of African barbarism and dark supersti tion. In short, the island is in a state of irre trievable decay. Such is the picture which is held up to a stranger, knd do little pains are taken to make him believe it to be a faithful representation. There is much in the appear ance of Kingston to corroborate this view. Its wharves are comparatively silent. The large stores and warehouses which follow the line of the harbor are but partially occupied, and betray but few signs of active business. Some are tenantless. Here, forty years ago, the commerce of Central and Southern Ameri ca had its entrepot. It was the mart where the productions of the tropical countries of the w est were exchanged lor the manufactures of Europe. Thai trade has found other channels. The island of St. Thomas has partially attracted it ; while, cargoes are now sent direct from the mills of Manchester to the markets they are intended to supply. It is only faring the shipping season for sugar that activity pre vails among the stores, which were formerly busy the year round with foreign and intercol onial traffic. The merchant of Central Amer- ca rather prefers to avail himself of the facili ties which steam' affords to visit the marts of Europe, than to stop half-way at the ware houses of Kingston; and the rich produce of the mines of Mexico now goes direct to its destination in the coffers of the banks of England, France and Spain ' - ' Trinidad has also had to pass through a ter rible ordeal : ,.'.:-s;:-V; " Three years after- emancipation, in 1841, the condition of the island was most deplora ble: the laborers had for the most part aban doned the estates, and taken nosaession of plots of vacant land, especially in the -vicinity of the towns,' without purchase or lawful right. Vagrancy had - become an alarming habit or great numbers ; ever v attempt to take a census of the population waa baffled by the e- auent mierations which took olace. Crimi nals .easily: evaded justice byiabsconding to places where they w era unknown, or by hiding lueuiaeirea lu iu; ucooe ; joresi.. WUICO in ait Earts edged so closely On the cleared - lands. trunkenness increased to an enormous degree. assisted Dy planters wno ireeiy supplied jrom to the laborers, to induce them to remain as cultivators on their estates. lHigh wagea were bulned, only to be squandered iu amusement, ixyeArj ou. (uiBipsiioq v:av fop same i tune,-these high wagesjnduced a diminished culti- vation or "Jood. aod a corresponding' increase in price and in the import of provisions from the neighboring islands ao4 continent. , The laborers steadily refused to.enterinto any contracts which would oblige them to remain in the service of a master r thUr would too much have resembled thesUte of slavery from which they had but jnat emerged.? i It was with refer enco to this state of (.tbing8 that Lords Harris wrote in 1843 'One of the inany errora which have peen committed since ' the granting - of emahcipatlon is the little attention paid to ariv legislation JbaTing forita end the formation of ! a. " a. -. a eocieiv, )ua JH116' eoonav ana lasting. , principles. As the question, at present 'stands, m race has been freed ; but a society- has not been formed. rLitefty has been given to a he terogeneous mass of indiviJaala, who can on' 1 comprehend . ienc:' a .rartitica, in the right and priyilec8i4in4 idntiea of ivjSsed society Jbaa been," granted totheajrtiey iare only capable pf enwyin U victan rr- j 3 th the helpof Vs crant Acts, and ether wgiaiauve enactments, , somewhat X.k9 ord ,waa established ; and tLe ictrc-acticn cf Cccl labor has naUed,TT53iJl to"er3ver. frcra the etate of poverty - i-to x : ;:h it I.-1 teen pluD2ed.'4 At. all eyent3, i!ie, J.L .Urs have WRW' Jtpon .the tcs2y.app!y.cf- .yri.: zh they can,j2?-endJvfhichTrr3 ;uits cr-t cf the j question with the free oejroes nix on their hands. As yet; however; the aucof the Immigration scheme must not be regard- new ed . as absolutely established. iThe Coolia, ootii vhmese and ast i ndian, seem to be pi ed with it, and. exhibit few signs of availing themselves of the free passage placed at their disposal after they have served their time. They have even in some instances sent for their families, and become independent propri etors, uni in order to put the scheme in no tion, arm wad haa been compelled to burthen itself with an immigration-debt of 125,000. Of course this entails taxation r and to that extent becomes a burden on industry, and renders a competition , with other countries more difficult. On the other hand, the ex port of su- Kr alone since the introduction of Coolie la-rhas risen from 20,506 to 40,000 hhds., whilst that of cocoa now reaches 5,200,000 Ibe., against 3,300,000 Sw., the highest ever obtained before emancipation.: - - - s .: ' " In the time of the French occupation (Hayti.) before the revolution of 1793, thousands of hogsheads of sugar were produced ; now, not one. All is decay and desolation.- The, pastures .are -deserted, and the prickly pear covers the land once iauging with the bright hoes of the sugar ease. The hydraulic works, erected at vast expense, for irrigation, have crumbled to dust. The plough is an unknown implement of culture, although so eminently adapted to the great plains and deep soil Of; Hayti. "A country so capable of producing for export, and therefore for the enrichment of it people besides sugar and coffee, cotton, tobacco, the cacao bean, spices, 1 every tropical fruit, and man y of the fruits of Euro pe lies un cultivated, unoccupied, and desolate. Its rich mines are neither explored nor worked ; and its beautiful woods rot in the toil where they grow. A little logwood is exported ; but ebony, mahogany," and the finest building timber rarely fall before the woodman's axe, and. then only for local use. The present inhabitants despise all servile labor, and are for the most part content, with the spontaneous productions of the soil and forests. For their imports of flour, salt fish, and dry goods; they pay with the produce of their coffee and cocoa plantations, wh:eh their French predecessors planted. And to gather in their crops they depend on the voluntary assistance of their neighbors,-whom they feed during the harvest, and then; in their turn, repay with similar assistance. Every description of cattle is rare: a few pigs .and numerous goats were the only domestic animals visible in our; long ride ; but fowls, ' turkeys, and geese were abundanx." ' ' .-:v'-;:: -' - -. - - TERRIBLE FIGHT OF GU BOATS! The Bebel Steamer Merrimao Engages Three Federal Gnu Boats ! The Details or Ihe Conflict. SINKINOOF THE .0PT.TBERLATTD. OPPORTUNE AltRIVAL 3IONITOK. V OF THE Lost of life cn the Federal Side. - Fortress Monroe, March . 9. The long expected Confederate steamer Mer rimac made her appearance, and yesterday af ternoon with the assistance of two gun-boats, which came out with her from Norfolk, made an attack upon Newport News and the naval vessels stationed at that place. The Merrimac was first Seen from the ramparts of Fortress Monroe, on her way to Newport News, at about a quarter before 1 o'clock. : Two rebel gunboats followed : her.- They all carried a rebel flag at tne stern and had a French flasr M ine mastneaa. ine JH.ernmac had a flag at her bows which was described by some as a Commodore's blue flag and by others as a black flag.- The sides, bow and stern of the Merri mac were covered with sloping iron plates extending about two feet below the water line and meeting above like the roof of a house. On her bows on the wafer line are two sham iron points, resembling plows, about six or seven feet apart. The number of guns is stationed at twelve, but she mignt not have had so many." At her" bows were seen - two gus projecting from long eliptical port holes. ; the design or the enemy did not become apparent until between one and two o'clock and by that time the Minnesota had got under way to the scene of action: The Roanoke, the flag ship, being disabled by the breaking of her shaft some time since, was taken in tow by 2 gunboats - About the same time the alarm gu n was fired at . Fortress Monroe and the whole garrison promptly turned out. The rebel boats steadily nursned their way to Newport News and the Merrimac soon turn- ea iue point wra was - tost w rrcw irom iue Fortress.- The first shot was fired from the frigate Cumberland at a little past two o'clock.' The Sewall's Point battery then opened on the Minnesota; which was passing, and the Sawyer gun from the Rip Rape replied with a few shots at Sewall's 'Points A thick smoke was soon seen to rise above n ewport .News point, indicating that the battery there as well as the Cumberland and Congress were engaged. 1; '' The5 details of the action Could hot be seen from the Fort; . but a telegraph dispatch - waa received announcing that the Cumberland and Merrimac were in close quarters. ; After firing two- guns'at the' Cumberland the ' Merrimac struck her, her sharp bows making a hole in her at the water line 7 "feet In" extent. ,The Cumberland ' commenced' sinking " when the Merrimac. backing a: short distance ran-into her a second time making the water to run in at a furious rate. -The Cumberland continued firing till "the water - entered her, portholes when she careened over slowly and finally sunk Kvnt S O'clock ':' ' '" ' " . : 1 -Zi. . j 'The Newport News' battery1 and the guns of the Cumberland fired continuously upon the 3Ierrimac,'but ho apparent effect was produced upon her. i he Minnesora got aground on tne way up and could afford but, little, assistance. Shortly before 3 o'clock ' the Yorktown and Jamestown arriyed from up the James River; TITS' former was disabled early in th$.P.-J, and putin shore for ' repairs. After ainking the Cumberland, the, Merrimac tome4 her attention to the'Ckngrebavf.:. ? In less than an hour afterwards a white flag waa hoisted on the 'CoAgressT " AT" rebel gua-boat immediatelj went-aidngside and took officers acd jnarinea prisoners. The seaineawere allowed to; escape .to :hrei--r v . The Jfrijat St. Lawrence arrived iere .duf. ing the afternoon, and without dropping .her anchor proceeded ub the' river ana followed the exam pie of the llinneaota- and Rdanoke in firing: otf the .batteTr at Sewalli' Point, s but like the rest her ehptc!! short," The gunboat Hystio was alsq towed op 'in'.tfte afternoon, but at sundown theRcanoe, EtJ-Lawrence, and Hystis all returceJ-M -'.i ;t-1 Afier 4 o'clocktheal4rriaa centiaceii to throw shells into the camp at .Newport News. while the Jamestdwa aad other rebel gunboat cbmcienceJ Criayoa tLe lliniciotav "-'The latter replied aa , nmtlj as possible,' -and U..:o w--v. -. '..i theconfiict was conUnueaV without any appa- rent effect, until dark. During the evening vne VODgrees was set 'oa fire. set Ton. fire. At-midnirht she was blown up, making a terrible explosion. '. m ' -. - . . .. , " - r DuriDg the evening the Monitor arrived and at once proceeded to take part in the action. During the night only an occasional gun was fired. Reinforcement' of men and ammunition were sent to N ewport News early in the afternoon. But little serious damage was done and no one was killed. This morning the conflict waa renewed, - .' . . ; - : r- ' Until the presence of the Monitor was known to the Jlemmae, the latter was engaged with the Minnesota, and but for the fortunate arrival of the Monitor the Minnesota might have been lost. The Monitor and Metrimae engaged each other for two or three hours at loug and short range, without perceptible effect upon either. They went alongside Of each other once or twice and seemed almost to run each dowp. but they soon appeared again to renew the action. The Ericsson battery finally succeeded in forcing a long hole in the port side of the Merrimac and she retired with the whole rebel fleet to Norfolk, v At about one o'clock the U. S. gunboat Oregon waa struck by the Merrimac in her boiler and was blown up this morning. The U. 3. gunboat Zouave was also seriously damaged and was obliged to return. The principal loss of life was on board the Cumberland, - where it is thought as many as 150 men must . have been killed or drowned. But six lives were lost on board the Minnesota, according to the report of one or her officers, r A rebel gunboat was cut in two yesterday by the Cumberland. s ; ' Tne Merrimac is understood to have been under command of Com. Buchanan, late of the Navy Yard. ' FomTaxss Mosnox, March 10. " ..With the assistance of the steamer Spauld-ing the Minnesota has been got off and she is now on her way here. : She has received numerous shots, but no serious damage The Congress is supposed to have lost over 100 men, including but one officer. The escaped crews of the - Cumberland and the - Congress have arrived here.- . " " v ! ; " ... The Monitor has come up to the expectations that were formed of her and has proved herself impregnable to heavy shot at close quar-' ters. She behaved remarkably well on .her passage from New York, and although the sea covered her decks completely at times,- her speed did not seem to be at all ' diminished. j To her presence here- may be attributed the safety of the Minnesota and other vessels in port andtheBnal disabling of the Merrimac, which Tiad previously been proof against everything. Capt. Worden, orhe Monitor, - was wounded in tne head while he was looking out of the wheel-hbuse. No other accident -of any kind occurred to the battery or crew. We have no accurate list of the killed and wounded. . '.. . - -;' '-. ' '-. ;;; - ; ; Washixctok, March 10. Lieut. Wise commanding the Potomae flo- -i 'TTy-Drort- TTofthe rebel batteries at Cockpit, Shipping, and i ovser points Riongme roiomsc, ana uw uie u : .i v - -1 uuriiiu puinis siung vu x uwiuac, aim vuir rebel erails? ' Lieut. Wise arrived this afternoon bringing dispatches from . Fortress Monroe. But few particulars have yet transpired as his interview is not closed.' . The following items are reliable: Capt. Radford was engaged on a court-martial, and not on board the Cumberland.. Lieut. J. B. Smith, son of Com. Smith, was on board the Congress and is killed. The loss in killed, drowned, wounded and missing is supposed to be one hundred. Lieut, Wise who handled the Monitor so skillfully is here in the hands of a surgeon. He was in the pilot house of the Monitor when the Merrimac ' directed a whole broadside at it, and received his injuries from the minute fragments of shells and the pow der which were rdriven through the lookout holes. Lieut, Worden was stunned by the concussion, and was carried away. 'On recovering he asked; have I saved the Minnesota?' The reply was yes, and whipped the Merrimac. To which he answered. Then I don't care what becomes of me.. His injuries are not supposed ' to be dangerous. The Minnesota was eventually got off and towed under the guns at Fort Monroe. '-- The loss of 100 killed, given you in a former dispatch, was on board the Cumberland. The crew of the Congress is scattered and there are no means of ascertaining her loss at present. The naval authorities and experts nere are confident that the Merrimac is disabled and that the Monitor is adequate to her in every respect. ' ; .;!- GENERAL McOT.ttt.t.att. 21Z7iLSZJQ VXXTBXC AXZOX7. Tlie Gigantic Scheme of the Oenexal-i2k Chief for Cnuhing the Rebellion. The New York Methodist, the leading jour nal of the most numerous religious sect in the country, defends the General-in-Chief withzeal and ability. - We quote in full an article from ita issue of March 1: .. . - - - -' . thk FKOGaaai or raia waa. - -.. Happily for us, Ihe recent national auspices render amusing. , rather than, saddening, the rampant but puerile . criticisms of a class off journals on the plan of the war, : especially as regards the Commander-in-Chief and his Po tomac forces, v We do not .believe that thercis a sound military critic in the country or in Europe, who does not look' with admiration on the policy of McCJellan as it is gradually but surely, developing itself; with , features at once of brilliant achievement and final security. ' . ' ' -: "-" h:-- TJnquestionably, there-is a comprehenaTye, well-adjusted scheme at the bottom of our military operations; unquestionably, this schema proceeds from Washington,. What now are the manifest phases of that scheme,1 and what are' its coming results 1 ? - . '-: '- ' The first feature that strikes the eye of the observer is -the aggregation, of a formidable force' ia presence of the national capital serving at once for the local security of the government, and the holding in check and impo-teaey the main force of the rebels : at. Manassas, .while the other and almost Briarean arms of the plan circumvent and overthrow him from the rear. Had the 'onward TO6yementpolicv preyailed in 'respect to the- Potomac fores, its success agairrt -Manassas would.- have . trana-ferredUhe rebef fbrce to more southern but still tenable fields, and- left or-with the prolonged task of pursuit and an certain - fighting. .Were this not. the case, . butr were, we unsuo-cessfuVour capital would have been 'periled-' the whole national --cause -would' have been risked t ::iyt'i. vw' -; --v? The second obvious eature of the program isthernccesful invasive -movement alonthe Coast,"fronr Hatterasttai New 'Orleans",' a. I of which are moving eauUuily but succesfiny; so tLit a retreat of. lie coaeenUated iforceu at 21anaas must be toward aconsumin; Cr iq i s rr, and prelil !y afler tlie frir-: ;j-al tit. iva of tLs Couth are ia' oar 'anicJ pia-essloa." A retreat from llaaassas must therefore virtu- Ially- be; disintegration' to th army; a persistent occupation e mam southern . army; a persistant occupation or its stronghold - there must fee but the postponement of an lgno-mioious defeat 'or 'Self-disaolutionr - v - i V The third feature of the scheme. Jk the concentration and south ward movement of a . Seat western1 force, ' accomplishing, on the -: ississippi, " what "our 'expeditions' are ae- complishing on the Atlantic coast, and,-thus-completing the grand program. ; v - N-.-'a'; ; " Now, we affirm three things regarding this gigantic scheme:'"' " - - - -- "-: First: That the right preparation required , , every moment of the delay which, haa beeo so vociferously and so impertinently denounced by some of our journals. . " - "Second ; We affirm that, having attained its necessary preparation, this scheme is now operating with' that harmony and tQciency which shows the sagacity - andenergy of a thorough strategic genius, and it cannot fail of rapid and conclusive results,' -unless the senseless clamor of th e press shall succeed ia disturbing in chief point eTappvi -the cool mas-, terly inactivity of the Potomac' force. :He ia; onr only danger a defeat here might upset .. all the scheme. This force, we say, not ;only guarantees the capital and the whole North and East, but holds, in check the chief military-strength of the rebellion, while the other parts: of our scheme are moving' forward -with In- .-vincible power, and threaten soon - to compel ' the Manassas stronghold to fall in upon itself, dissolved, without even the honor of a contested defeat. ' ' " ' " Third : We affirm that, if McClellan mill only stand firmly to his program, the resalt will place him in the front rank of the .gener- . alship of the . age. A great military writer justly. eayB that 'The greatest victories of the greatest Generals have been won without fighting. Our leading military men know, well,, from their books, this grand fact. . Let. them not succumb to popular and heedless enthusiasm, and risk their title to generalship in history by attempts at brilliant risks in any - case : where such risks are not necessary.' . .:.. " Washington saved the new-born Republie by his Fabian policy. Let ourCommsnder-in-Chief - remember Washingtod amidst the . wretched clamor of the day. . : ; ; ? . -t . : C.Vist Tie last Coimeil of War. '' ' We have givep an abstract of Ges. Pillow's official report of the seige and surrender of Fort Donelson. The account of the last coun cil of war held on the night before the surrender, is so interesting, and so tends to show what brave words Pillow had and what cowardly legs, that wegiveit in fulls ' . . In this condition, the general ofi?cers held a consultation to determine what we should do. Gen, Buckner gave it as his decided opinion that he could not hold , his position one-half hour against an assault of the enemy; and said the enemy would attack him next morning at daylight. 1 The proposition was then made by the undersigned to again fight our way throe a. the enemy 'a lines ana cut our' vray out. 3en. and cut to pieces and demoralized, that he , could not make another fight; that it would . "-coat the command three-quarters of ita present number to cut its way through, and it was-wrong to sacrifice-', th ree-quarters of a com-mand to save a quarter ; that no officer had . a right, to cause such a sacrifice. Gen. Floyd " and Major Gilmer I understood to concur ia ' this opinion.. . " I then exnressed the oninion thmi mm ' rnnM hold out another day; ana in that time we could get steamboats and set the command over the river, and probably save a large portion of it. To this General Buckner replied that the ene-my would certainly attack him at daylight, and . that he could not hold his position naif an hour. The alternative of these propositions-was a surrender of their position and com-, ' mand. Gen Floyd said that he would neither- surrender the command, nor would he surren- der himself a prisoner. - I had taken the same ,: position. General Buckner said he was satisfied nothing else could be done, and that, there fore, he would surrender if placed in command-;- Gen. Flovd said he, would turn over the eon- ,: mand to him if he could be allowed to with' " draw his command. . To this General Buckner consented. Thereupon General Floyd turned the command over to me. I passed it instant-ly to General Buckner. saving I would neither - surrender the command nor myself a prisoner.' ) i airectea ixwonei rorrest to cut his way out. - .-, Under these circumstances General Buckner: accepted the command, and sent a flag of true to the enemy, for an armistice of six hours to negotiate, for terms, of capitulation. Before-this flag and communication was delivered I retired from the garrison. . - 1 - v .... ':-" VISI0H, .; , : - . . - , ' " ' ' "... Centreyille enat Wlnelaesfer Ev . - ' tea by the Rebels. o; .... t .. '".' - CHAaiasTOJr, Va4 MarchJ? Hundreds of contrabands are arriving from the country. The course adopted in' regard to " them, if they have been emDloved br ibmw. sion authon ties, lis to turn them over to the Division Quartermaster, to be emDloved br ih Fe leral Government but if proven otherwise - tney are returned to tnetr owners. , " . On Friday. Capt. Cole'eCo. FMai-Tlsn cavalry, forty , in number, .came upon "about '? 140 of the rebel cavalry between" Bunker' TTill and Winchester. - A skirmish ensued ' lasting an hour, resulting in the killing of six of Ashley's men and wounding five, Capt Cole had inree men wouaoeo. A aection of MatheW . batterv came tm to Capt, Cole's support, when Adjutant Wilkins, of Gen. Williams stafi; had horse shot under himi': ci. -.- .It is believed at Bunker Hill that the force " at ;Winchester kaa been, greatly redoced, Jeav- mg not oyer 3.0U0 to 6,000 men there. . Others) . sajr. that 'Gen' - Jackson' force . has been-strehgthened by the rexrimen ta from Leesburs. Capt-Cblea scouts last night. reached point '-:' oaiy roqr.milea Xronx Winchester; but encoun- 'f tered no resistance, except from a small cavalry picket. It is stated that but 400 or the . 19th Jliasissippi regiment remained at Leea-burg at the time of the evacuation. f hese re- .' treated in the direetioa of Manassas Gapv , " "This morning seceaajon scouts attacked G en. "" Hamilton's pickets near Smithy WellJtiUing r one and wounding another of the 27th-IndlC-na. They Were pursued by tie Si Wisconiln,1 who had not returned at last accounts.' -' ;-rAii WasaryoTcir, irarch'l-r There ia no longer, any bilt bat the rtvcj hare evacuated Centre vi"?, V.'i-chesicj'tl other fcaportant poj?: ta, ; is Zlcr ' ." r j - sv g?crrl falling lck. of their fwrcs. Tl Csl&rt ti rortresa Monroe ii&a -a occuf Government buainea t. wlui his 1 Tented the Assoc :t;.J 'Press J ': patch conn's;. -Tr; ! - I -"i ry el -r-ssteef .rf ' f t.C - t pc.'-t. 1 :7. r S'u le u. 1 1 y five the naiaea eft s 5. and woundci, s.t u. csrllcit.-- ' 5 v : r- ' . -.- rtc d:&cJ Vkith ArcMnac tc i , c i CO'JBties, Virginia. ..... I