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April 22, 1861

for April 22, 1861

Chronological History of the Civil War

• U. S. Arsenal at Napoleon, Ark., seized by the rebels.
• New York city appropriated $1,000,000 to equip volunteers, and $500,000 for their families.

New York Herald

The News.

There was no direct communication yesterday with the federal capital or Baltimore. There is no doubt of the perfect safety of Washington, and it is not probable that anything of a serious nature transpired in Baltimore yesterday. The communication is understood to be suspended by the desire of the government, in order to prevent its plans of war from falling into the hands of its opponents. It was rumored in Washington on Saturday that the President, in consequence of certain States refusing to furnish their quota of the force called for, would call for additional troops from the States which have proved faithful to the constitution and laws of the country.

We publish today details of the sanguinary fight that took place in Baltimore last Friday between its citizens and the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania troops that were marching to the relief of Washington city; also a report of the mass meeting subsequently held at Monument square, with the speeches of the Mayor and Governor, an account of the burning of the railroad bridges, &c. The burning of the bridges and the cutting of the telegraph wires were done by order of Governor Hicks, and under the protection of a strong military force.

The Seventy-first, Twelfth and Sixth regiments of New York State militia, with full ranks and fully officered, left New York yesterday for Annapolis, in the steamers R. R. Cuyler and Baltic. The regiments were obliged to leave numbers of recruits behind. They numbered; together, more than two thousand five hundred men. Their departure was the occasion of a grand ovation.

The meeting of the citizens of New York in Union Square on Saturday last, was one of the greatest demonstrations of popular feeling the world has ever seen. It was characterized by great unanimity of feeling, and, amidst a crowd of half a million of human beings, but one thought, one idea, seemed to pervade the huge mass, and that was a determination to sustain the government by every means, at all cost and hazard. The resolutions passed, and the speeches pronounced, all breathed the same spirit: and the city of New York, rising as if it were one man on the occasion, determined that the federal government should be sustained and maintained, no matter what the amount of men, material or money should be necessary.

We learn from Annapolis that the Eighth regiment of Massachusetts have arrived there safely, and are holding open the road from that place to Washington.

By telegraph we learn that the Seventh regiment of New York had reached Annapolis, and we have reason to believe that they are now in Washington city.

From United States soldiers who were on guard at Harper Ferry on the night of the destruction of the armory, and have since escaped, we learn that the destruction of the buildings and arms at that place was full and complete. Harper’s Ferry was filled with Virginians, who, it was believed, design invading Maryland, and making Mason and Dixon’s line the line of warfare.

We continue today our reports of the volunteer movement, which is progressing with extraordinary activity. The reports which we give elsewhere furnish interesting details.

Governor Morgan arrived in this city yesterday, and put up at the Astor House. The object of the visit is to make arrangements concerning the departure of the New York militia for the seat of war.

The steamship State of Maine returned to this port yesterday morning from Hampton Roads, whither she had gone for the purpose of reinforcing Fortress Monroe.

Ex-President Pierce made an eloquent address to the people at Concord, N. H., on Saturday evening last. He hoped that Providence would avert the disasters that at present distract the country, but if a collision between the two sections must occur, he declared it the duty of all good citizens to sustain the government and defend the flag of their country.

At the Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, yesterday, a sermon was delivered by the Rev. Mr. Northop, on the present exigencies of the country. Mr. Beecher, the pastor, was absent from the city. After the sermon a collection was taken up, to uniform and equip the volunteers who are prepared to serve their country in the field in the present momentous crisis. The offerings in the morning and evening for that purpose, it is said, will amount to about five thousand dollars.

The Rev. Dr. Bellows, at All Soul’s Unitarian church, yesterday preached, and in the course of his sermon feelingly alluded to the present national crisis. He characterized the uprising at the South as a war against the ballot box, and the present war as a holy war, waged in the cause of civilization. A report of the reverend gentleman’s remarks will be found in our paper today.

At the Twenty-first street Dutch Reformed church yesterday Dr. Bethune delivered a patriotic and stirring sermon on the present emergencies of the country to a large and fashionable congregation. At the conclusion of his sermon the Doctor read an appeal for the protection of the families of the soldiers who have volunteered in the service of their country. The reverend gentleman headed the list with a subscription of fifty dollars, and the matter was placed in the hands of a committee of influential ladies of the congregation.

The Banner in the Breeze.

Our cities, towns and villages are gay with the streaming colors of the Star Spangled Banner. We see it floating over the top of Bunker Hill monument, Trinity church, the Catholic cathedrals, our public buildings, from the tops of the highest hills and the tallest spires—in places, indeed, where it never waved before. It is now nearer heaven than any flag ever waved before. We see it, in endless duplicate and of varying size, lining our streets, decorating our store windows, and being carried to and fro on stages, carriages and other vehicles. We see it in the hands of men, women and children, indoors and out of doors. We see ladies at the hotels come trooping into the dining hall with flags in their hands and with the red, white and blue worn on their bosoms. We see this emblem of our constitution and our liberties everywhere. We have it even on our envelopes, and neckties, and bits of white silk to be pinned to our coat collars. We might pursue our enumeration, but enough is said and enough is known to show that the Star Spangled Banner expresses a sentiment which is universal among us, from Maine to Chesapeake Bay. That sentiment is THE UNION. There is no plainer evidence of this grand unity of feeling than in this throwing to the breeze of the flag of our country. We all rejoice in it. It is a popular movement the like of which was never seen before, and such general unanimity must command respect abroad and strike fear to our enemies at home. It shows that we are still a great people, with the courage and determination to support that greatness, and to unite manfully in its achievement, be we democrats or republicans. Our flag is menaced, and we must defend it to the last, come what may; and let us rest assured that in the end to the defenders of that flag will be the victory. 

The War.—The Bivouac At The Capitol.—Our Washington Correspondence.

HEADQUARTERS OF CLAY’S BATTALION.

WASHINGTON, April 20—1 o’clock A.M.

In the second patrol of Col. Cassius M. Clay’s command I visited tonight, carbine in hand, the Capitol of the United States of America. As we approached that magnificent edifice the prompt call of the sentry brought us to a halt; but soon the conference of the officer in command of the patrol with the officer of the guard, procured us admittance. As we arrived, two ladies, escorted by a gentleman, who were understood to be volunteer nurses for the members of the Massachusetts regiment wounded at Baltimore, applied for admittance, though it was then past midnight. During the parley between our officer and the officer of the guard, we had leisure to admire the ample arrangements in the way of barricades, which were mainly composed of barrels of cement placed endwise, and piled up ten feet high between the immense marble piers and columns that form the various entrances of the building. Entering, we passed along its tessellated floors, sentries meeting us at every turn and directing us through all the devious approaches that led us to our special object of search, the quarters of the Massachusetts regiment. We found these tired and sleeping men in the Senate Chamber, where were delivered the last national speeches of Mr. Jefferson Davis. The men, exhausted by four sleepless nights of travel, had thrown themselves down to sleep the moment they reached the building; but a few of their officers and a surgeon of one of the Washington regiments, detailed to attend upon the wounded, gave us an account of the melee at Baltimore, substantially the same which your enterprising reporter had managed to forward for your columns, having, by virtue of his earnest representations, gained consent for its transmission from the army officer in charge of the Washington telegraph office, which had at an early hour been taken possession of for the exclusive use of the government.

Besides the Massachusetts regiment who were relieved from guard duty, the Pennsylvania troops were posted in the Capitol, and also one company of United States artillery. Alertness and discipline seemed to prevail at every point.

We found these soldiers in the most magnificent quarters in the world. They ascended staircases lined with heavy wainscots of the marble of Tennessee. They traversed corridors where the eloquence of the noblest orators of the republic, dead and living, had daily resounded. Ceilings, rich with all the magnificence of the decorator’s art, were above their heads, and from the walls looked down upon them the counterfeit presentments of the heroes of an earlier age of the republic, who little dreamed that their countrymen should behold a scene like this.

With the reflections which such a spectacle inspired, our patrol (made up of gentlemen of education and culture who could appreciate its historic aspect), returned to our quarters in the Peace Congress Hall, at Willard’s Hotel. There we found some hundreds of our comrades under arms, enjoying, as we arrived, their rations of coffee and biscuit. Soon a reporter of the HERALD—a corps which seem to be ubiquitous—came in and relieved the monotony of our watch by detailing the latest news of warlike import. We maintain our guard till morning, but all fear of a sudden dash of marauding thieves upon the capital tonight is dismissed from our minds. It is protected in every direction, and scouts hourly arrive with reports of every symptom which can be tortured into a hostile demonstration. There are ample troops now here to protect the city against any possible attack which can be made upon it by any forces the enemy can immediately concentrate. Depend upon it, Washington is for the present safe, and with the troops now rapidly concentrating upon it, it will be held against all the devices of a set of ingrate rascals who, for the devotion they owe the republic, substitute thievery, treachery, bad faith and rascality on a scale as large as their pretensions and as mean as their performance.

For Our Country and For Glory.

War knows no Sabbaths, as well as no laws. Yesterday New York saw such a sight as it has never seen before upon a Sabbath. The streets, usually quiet and half deserted upon the Holy Day, crowded with people; gay with flags and uniforms; resonant with sheers and martial music; full of bustle, life and animation. The sound of the church bells, calling the multitude to worship the Prince of Peace was drowned by the roll of drums, calling soldiers to march to the wars. Men, women and children, who ordinarily attend places of worship, thronged the streets, to bid goodbye and God speed to their relatives and friends who were marching to defend their country. Prayers to the God of Love were changed to appeals to the God of Battles. The city bristled with arms, and seemed more like a military camp just before a field day than a metropolis resting from its labors upon the day or rest.

The war spirit has seized upon our citizens to an extent unprecedented and unexpected. Day after day we send out to the wars the very flower of our youth, and yet day after day others are departing and repairing to depart. Stores give up their salesmen, banks their officers, merchants their clerks, newspapers their editors and reporters, and still the spirit spreads, the enlistments continue, the drain increases. Already there is a perceptible alteration in the aspect of those places where young men do most congregate. One misses familiar faces at every turn. Inquiries of or about friends are answered by as gone with the Seventh,’ or ‘I start with the Eighth tomorrow.’ No one can resist the infection. Those who are ordinarily coolest and calmest are now the most heroic and excited.

Through streets all ablaze with flags, lined with enthusiastic citizens and thunderous with cheers and vivas, the Seventy first, Twelfth and Sixth regiments of the New York State militia marched to the transports which are to convey them to Washington as expeditiously as possible. Vessels loaded with United States troops started at the same time with apparently the same destination. Every militia regiment turned out with over flowing ranks, and hundreds of recruits were obliged to be refused. New York never did itself greater credit, and never sent out better men. The homes which miss the husband, the brother, the father today are many, but there are few regrets for the absent, though mothers morn, and sisters weep, and children wonder and are alarmed. The cause is too holy for regret. No crusade which ever swept through Europe with emblazoned haste ever went to fight for a nobler cause. The cross of Peter the Hermit fades before our Star Spangled Banner for the Union, or strength and our shield; for the constitution, the great charter of our freedom; for the laws, our support and our safeguard; for these our chivalry go forth to battle and they could go for no holier purpose. They started upon the holy day most appropriately, and it is no profanation to say that the providence who blessed the day will bless those who go to obstruct with their lives the further progress of anarchy and wrong.

Those who read the detailed accounts which we give below of the scenes and incidents connected with the departure of the regiments will find that the heroism, the chivalry, the self devotion which we have been taunted with lacking, still exist among our people. There are no nobler examples of those virtues than some which are here described. The contemptuous laugh of the Southern conspirators at the proclamation which brought these soldiers into the field was most ill timed and injudicious. It will die away before such displays as this, and as New York looks upon her sons already upon the way to Washington, and upon those preparing to follow, she may well respond to such derision.

Let those laugh who win.

THE DEPARTURE OF THE SEVENTY FIRST.

Immediately that it was announced that the Seventy first regiment had volunteered, that its tender had been accepted by the government, and that it would start for Washington yesterday, the rush of recruits became tremendous, and more names were put upon the list than could by any possibility be enrolled in the companies. A week ago and scarcely a corporal’s guard of the regiment were ready to volunteer. On Saturday night last the rolls were closed at ten o’clock, with over eleven hundred names registered, and over two hundred applicants were refused. The new recruits drilled day and night, and the armory over Centre Market was beset with crowds of people. Several recruits were turned away on account of their advanced age, and our reporter saw old white haired men offering to enlist in any capacity—even as cooks—if they could only be permitted to go. There was the greatest animation and enthusiasm at the armory during the preparatory drills. Whole families of men enlisted: father shouldered arms alongside of their sons; brother joined the ranks together; friends brought each other in; young men rushed off home to tell their parents they had enlisted, and returned shouting and singling with glee. Very few men slept, and many did not go to bed at all, so excited were they and soon busy in preparing for the start the next morning.

ON SUNDAY MORNING the men began to assemble at the armory at half past six o’clock. New York sleeps late on Sundays, but yesterday crowds surrounded the armory as soon as the soldiers began to march up, and continued to increase until the start at half past nine o’clock. Ingress or egress was almost impossible, and the drill room was so jammed that anything like movement was not to be thought of for a moment. The spectators had to be turned out by hundreds, so that the companies might form. As might have been anticipated, there were comparatively few ladies present, and most of the adieux were spoke at home. Still there were many friends who came to say the good byes over and over again; to shake hands for the last time several times, only to repeat the last farewells in the armory in the street, on the march at the dock and on board the vessel. From the hurry and bustle and from the motley character of the crowd there occurred

MANY SCENES AND INCIDENTS affecting and ludicrous. Here you might see a father bidding farewell to his little boy. There an awkward recruit trying to learn to handle his musket and keep his chest out at the same time, and not succeeding in the attempt. Here a husband and wife were kissing good by with sad faces. There a man was quite a mournfully contemplating a trunk which he had brought along full of creature comforts, which he couldn’t carry with him and which he was most loath to leave behind. Here were brothers, one of whom was going with the regiment, parting a ribbon between them. There was a substitute, whom about twenty friends were attempting to get into a coat several times too small for him, and who presented the remarkably elegant figure which Same Cowell affects in his ‘Reuben Wright.’ Here a man was telling a mournful tale of the wife whom he had left behind him unprovided for, but who insisted that he should go with his regiment. There was a friend looking earnestly and intently at a recruit, striving to gulph down his emotion and clutching with both hands a box of segars, which he in vain attempted to present. Here was a mother placing in her boy’s hand a bible and exhorting him to read it. There was a soldier turning round and round, as a dog goes after his tail, in an insane effort to reach a strap which hung just in the middle of his back, and avoided his reach by a hairbreadth. Here an old man looked with pride at the four sons he had given to his country. There a young soldier sat repeatedly upon his knapsack, determined to crowd more into it than it could hold. Here you heard of men—one of them a first sergeant—who had arranged to be married this week, but had obtained leave of absence from the Household Brigade. There a party sang at the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ with a great deal of voice and very little melody. Here stood a soldier fully armed and equipped. There a recruit, whose accouterments consisted only of a tin cup and a pocket pistol loaded with brandy, declared that he was ‘a Zouvey.’ You passed rapidly from grave to gay, and from gay to grave again, and hardly had time to feel the moisture in your eyes at some sad spectacle, before a sunshiny laugh dried it up and set your face beaming.

OFF FOR THE RENDEZVOUS.

At about half past nine o’clock the drums sounded, and the companies began to form, to start for the rendezvous at Bond street. The sky, which up to this time had been as dark, sombre and lowering as the thoughts of the departing friends, now suddenly cleared and became as bright as the soldiers’ hopes. The crowd, anticipating the move of the regiment streamed up to Bond street and crowded it, in spite of the police, to its utmost capacity. By this time Broadway was as crowded as the vicinity of the armory, and it was with some difficulty that the various companies were able to reach the rendezvous without breaking their ranks. As each company passed into position upon the street or sidewalk, it was saluted with hearty cheers. The recruits especially were welcomed most enthusiastically. Five members of the Seventh regiment, who had determined to stay at home but found it impossible to remain away from their comrades, formed in uniform up the right of the line. Bond street was handsomely dressed out in flags, and every window was full of people. The companies were surrounded by a mob of people, who pushed about greeting friends among the soldiers, conversing, taking parting drinks and seeing the boys off generally. Ladies walked hastily up and down the lines looking for their relatives to say good bye. Every now and then a carriage would drive up discharging its soldier and taking away its other occupants. It seemed as if the great Union square meeting had unanimously adjourned and all the people had come down to see the Seventy first start.

INTO LINE—MARCH!

The poor soldiers were kept standing in the hot sun, with their heavy knapsacks and accouterments, thus, until twelve o’clock, when the crowd which had all along hampered the military, was at last partially cleared away by the police, under Superintendent Kennedy, and the Adjutant, having been waited for a long time, arrived upon the ground and received the reports of the orderly sergeants. The names of the officers and the number of the men who sailed we give below.

OFFICERS AND MEN.

Colonel A. S. Vosburg; Lieutenant Colonel, Henry P. Martin, vice Osgood, resigned; Major, George A. Buckingham; Adjutant, A. J. Pride; Quartermaster, George W. Roosevelt; Paymaster, W. A. Ellis; Assistant Paymaster, P. R. Wilkins; Surgeon, Dr. McMillan; Assistant Surgeons, Drs. Dodge and Peitnet; Chaplain, Rev. C. Corson; Sergeant Major, H. F. Leidennall; Color Sergeant, —- Searles; Right General Guide, S. E. Egbert; Left General Guide. F. B. Shelley.

Company A—Captain, —; First Lieutenant, — Hart; Second Lieutenant, W. G. Tompkins; First Sergeant; — Oakley; Second Sergeant, — Jones. Uniformed men, 66.

Company B—Captain B. L. Trafford; First Lieutenant, J. R. Klotz; Second Lieutenant, J. R. Livermore; First Sergeant, Fred. Zissell; Second Sergeant, A. H. Ferguson; Third Sergeant, —; Fourth Sergeant, John Hazlin. Uniformed men, 20.

Company C—Captain W. G. Coles; First Lieutenant S. H. Maynard; Second Lieutenant, H. J. Rich; First Sergeant C. H. Ackley; Second Sergeant, John Hall; Third Sergeant, S. W. Cochrane; Fourth Sergeant, E. H. Wells. Uniformed men, 36.

Company D—Captain, D. C. Meschute; First Lieutenant G. H. Stowe; Second Lieutenant D. H. Denyse; First Sergeant, W. E. Willson; Second Sergeant, Wm. Babcock; Third Sergeant, Wm. Brickell; Fourth Sergeant, Alexander Babcock. Uniformed men, 37.

Company E—Captain —; First Lieutenant, E. H. Wade; Second Lieutenant, T. B. Pendergast; First Sergeant, Richard Stirling, Jr.; Second Sergeant, E. Finley; Third Sergeant, W. H. Johnson; Fourth Sergeant, J. S. Turner. Uniformed men, 27.

Company F—Captain, J. L. Ellis; First Lieutenant, I. A. Murphy; Second Lieutenant, B. F. Chamberlain; First Sergeant, J. W. Dominick; Second Sergeant, Frith; Third Sergeant, Warner; Fourth Sergeant, Warner; Fifth Sergeant, Kirtland. Uniformed men, 58.

Company G—Captain, W. S. Dunham; First Lieutenant, G. W. Curtiss, Second Lieutenant, —; First Sergeant, S. Stephenson; Second Sergeant, Woolsey; Third Sergeant, Tallman. Uniformed men, 38.

Company H—The officers were not reported. Uniformed men, 36.

Engineers—First Sergeant, E. A. Quintard (vice Sandford, resigned); Second Sergeant, Cochrane. Uniformed men, 22.

Band—Harvey B. Dodworth, Leader. 30 men.

The recruits were reported as numbering between six and seven hundred men, and the regiment left the city with about one thousand men in the ranks. The figures given above only indicate the number of original members of the companies, or their substitutes. Many of the recruits were in uniform; other had arms, but wore all sorts of dresses, and carried bags, bundles and portmanteaus; others had no arms, no uniforms, no bundles. Boxes of muskets were provided on board ship for the recruits, and many had their uniforms sent there. The men were generally armed with revolvers. The vacancies in the list of officers will be filled by elections on the Cuyler. Most of the men were young, and all were able bodies, fine looking fellows. There are no nationalities among our citizens now; all are Americans, and so the rule which has made this an exclusive regiment was relaxed and outsiders freely admitted. Those in uniform wore dark blue suits, trimmed with black and gold, and blue overcoats. The recruits were dressed as taste and fancy dictated, and presented a most motley appearance. Some were armed with old, rusty muskets and one with only a hatchet. General Spicer and staff were upon the ground, and Major Smith was present to inspect the regiment. Finally, the regiment was handed over to the Colonel, the band struck up the national airs which were heartily cheered and saluted the colors amid renewed cheering. The soldiers then marched as far as the corner of Broadway and Broome street and were there halted and kept standing for nearly an hour, while Col. Vosburgh was selecting those recruits who were to go and those who were to remain, it being impossible to take all. This scene was most painful. Two hundred and fifty men were rejected, and the officers seemed as pained at this necessity as the recruits themselves. Some begged to be taken; others wept; and others, bearing their disappointment more bravely, started off to join some other regiment. The soldiers occupied themselves with singing the ‘Red, White and Blue,’ and the ‘Star Spangled Banner,’ with rousing choruses, and accompaniment of cheers.

MARCH TO THE BOAT

At last the procession started, and, with occasional stoppages, marched to pier No. 4, North river, through Broadway, Cortlandt and West streets. The crowd above Canal street was immense. People choked every window, and piled upon the stoops, balconies and roofs of the houses, which flashed with a bright foliage of flags. At every corner engines were stationed loaded with men and with bells ringing. The ladies waved their handkerchiefs and flags till the whole street seemed in a flutter. It was a New York crowd and a New York ovation. A thousand citizens walked in the ranks before the regiment, and were not missed from the crowd. Below Canal street the throng was not so dense, but was so large that no city but a New York could equal it. The people filled the entire street. The regiment never looked better, as it glanced in and out of the light and shade which the open streets and the tall houses caused to alternate. From St. Paul’s and Trinity churches flags waved, as if to remind the soldiers of the sacredness of the cause they were to defend. The friends of the men shook hands with them as they marched, and handed them books, papers, rosettes, segars and alls sorts of presents. Women wept as the regiment passed; men rushed from the crowd and joined the ranks—among others, the son of Commodore Barney, United States Navy. Before such scenes all words fail, and any description is impossible.

THE EMBARKATION. of the soldiers upon the R.R. Cuyler, which lay with steam up awaiting them was very finely effected. The men crowded the boat from stem to stern, and had hardly room to move. below, the carpenters were busy in putting up the rough berths in which the soldiers were to lay, ten deep. Friends said the last good byes and bombarded the vessel with oranges and apples. The men ate their dinners and smoked their segars as comfortably as circumstances would permit. At length three o’clock arrived; outsiders jumped ashore; the gangways were closed, and the planks thrown down; the ship shot out of the dock; cheers from the shore were returned by the soldiers; the ship appeared a vari-colored mass of uniforms, flags and handkerchiefs; the crowd hurrahed for New York and the defenders of the Union; the soldiers snapped caps in salute; and with one long, final cheer for “Our Boys,” the seventy-first started for the wars.

SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SEVENTY-FIRST REGIMENT.

Mr. Wm. Corry, residing at No. 77 Suffolk street, Jersey City, met with quite a serious accident yesterday just previous to his departure to join the Seventy-first regiment, of which he is a member. It seems that his pistol, which he was about putting into his pocket, went off, completely severing his right hand, the ball passing entirely through it. Surgeon Queiver, of the Second regiment, and Dr. Varick were called in, and dressed the wound, and from accounts, it will no doubt deprive Mr. Corry from joining his regiment.

Charleston Mercury

The War.

It is almost impossible to keep a full record of the war movements and rumors. There seems to be a general beat to arms North and South. The Border Slave States are at last fully aroused, and it is no longer a matter of doubt that, come what may, the South will stand as a unit for the maintenance of her rights and independence.

THE WAR IN VIRGINIA

The Old Dominion is all ablaze with excitement and indignation at the impending invasion. We give the news in detached paragraphs as it reaches us:

THREE VESSELS SEIZED AT CITY POINT.

A brave little band of fifteen men from Petersburg, headed by Col. Brockett, and a company of twenty men from Richmond, commanded by Capt. Albert Aiken, of Henrico county, conceived the daring exploit of proceeding to City Point, and capturing the vessels stationed there that might hail from the North, and accordingly faithfully executed and carried out their concerted plan and of action on Thursday. The first seizure made was that of the fine ship Argo, Capt. Owen, from Bath, now fifteen days at the Point, waiting for a cargo of tobacco. She is a first class ship of 1078 tons, and is capable, with a little alteration and strengthening, of doing valuable service. She was securely fastened to her moorings, and Major Maclin, with a sufficient force, was left in command.

Immediately after the seizure of the Argo, the company proceeded to a revenue cutter, now in the service of the United States government, and took possession of her. She also is capable of doing much service, and when called into action, will prove undoubtedly, that she was a prize worth taking. About three o’clock, the splendid steamship Jamestown, Captain Skinner, hove in sight, with her flags floating gaily in the breeze. At length, when she had been securely fastened, and while she was discharging her Petersburg freight, new hands appeared upon her deck, and in as quick a time as it takes us to relate it, the strength of chains bound her yet more effectually, and now beyond all hazard, she was safely fixed. Col. Brockett then informed Capt. Skinner that he would be relieved of his command, as the Jamestown now belonged to the State of Virginia.

SEIZURE OF THE RICHMOND CUSTOM HOUSE.

The Custom House was seized, on Thursday forenoon by the Verina Troop, and is held in durance by that corps. The descent upon the institution was altogether unexpected, and its officers were, of course, taken as completely by surprise as it is possible to imagine. The intelligence spread with telegraphic rapidity through the city, and an immense assemblage was present in time to witness the displacement of the sign on the north front, and the hoisting of the flag of Virginia upon the south, or Main street front. The sign alluded to bore the words, ‘United States Court;’ and when it was hurled to the pavement, it was seized upon by the crowd and smashed into, amidst the wildest applause. The entire building was by this time surrounded with people, all wearing an expression of the utmost delight, and worked up to a state of feeling which seemed to say that they were spoiling for a fight. The Custom House contains only about eighteen thousand dollars of Government funds, which will be disposed of as the State of Virginia may think proper.

MOVEMENTS IN RICHMOND.

RICHMOND, VA., April 18.—The silence which has perplexed you in regard to things here in the past few days, you might have was ominous. The word, ‘To arms,’ silently went forth, and while the response is every where of troops mustering for immediate service in town and country, the bulletin from Norfolk is, that the Merrimac, the Germantown, and the Cumberland war ships have been caught at that port. This feat was carried out under the auspices of Wm. H. Parker, Esq., of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. He is inspector of vessels, and one of ex-Governor Wise’s appointees. Do not be surprised if some other Virginians perform unusual achievements before Saturday night. Troops are gathering from various directions to march immediately. One hundred thousand Virginians can be in arms before Saturday night.

THE NORTHERN TROOPS IN BALTIMORE.

The excitement in Baltimore, on Thursday, rose to a higher point than at any time since the announcement of the assault on Fort Sumter. The Sun gives the following account of the events of the day:

At an early hour large numbers of persons congregated in the streets about the centre of the city, and a rumor that troops would arrive over the Northern Central Railroad during the forenoon, created an intense excitement. A meeting of the Southern Rights men was held in the Taylor Building, and it was there determined to offer no resistance to their passage through the city. After the adjournment of the meeting the throng in the streets increased.

Shortly after twelve o’clock, the movement of an unusual body of police indicated that something else was on hand, and they were followed to the Bolton depot by a large number of persons. Shortly after two o’clock, the sound of the whistle indicated the approach of a train, and with it came some three or four hundred troops. A part of them comprised a battery of artillery, and the remainder were said to be recruits from Pennsylvania. The recruits were without uniform, and some of them almost without clothing. A few of them carried flint lock rifles, while more than half the number carried no arms at all. When they emerged from the train, three cheers were given for Bell and Everett, which was soon followed by several groans. The crowd seemed to be disappointed in the appearance of the military, but followed them through Howard street to the Camden station. Then it was found that the train had left, and it became necessary to march them to the Mount Clare station, where a train was provided for them. The regulars broke off at Charles street, and marched to Fort McHenry.

Another account says:

The troops included a company of the Fourth Artillery, United States Army, Major Pemberton, from St. Paul, Minnesota; two companies from Pottsville, Pa.; one company from Reading, Pa., and the Logan Guard. The United States troops were acting as Infantry, and carried only their side arms. The volunteer companies were not more than half uniformed and armed, and presented some as hard looking specimens of humanity as could be found anywhere. Some were mere boys, and there were a few colored individuals in the ranks, generally acting as servants to the officers.

The march from depot to depot was a rapid one, and the column moved, flanked on either side by files of policemen, about ten paces apart, and extending several squares, the mass of spectators following, indulging in all sorts of past times, such as singing ‘Away Down in Dixie,’ cheering for ‘Jeff. Davis’ and the ‘Southern Confederacy,’ the ‘Union,’ &c. While the troops were occupying the cars at Mount Clare a perfect pandemonium existed, and such screeching, yelling, hooting, and cheering was probably never heard before. Demonstrations of a riot were renewed, and several bricks were hurled at the cars. One party was arrested by the police, but afterwards released. A colored man received a severe cut on the head, and it was said one of the soldiers was injured. The train departed for Washington about 4 o’clock.

The Southern Rights men yesterday afternoon raised at the intersection of Greenmount avenue and Charles streets the Confederate flag, and fired a salute of one hundred guns. The flag is of large size, and standing upon an elevation, is a prominent object in that vicinity.

RESIGNATIONS.

A telegram from Norfolk announces the following resignations of Virginians. The following Naval officers have sent in their resignations: Lieutenants R. B. Pegram and Catesby Jones. Commanders Richard Page, John Tucker, and Arthur Sinclair. Also, Lieutenants Terry, Sinclair, Spotswood, Rochelle, Maury and Gwathney, Commander Robb and Surgeon Van Bibber.

In the Army we have the following resignations: Lieut. Robert Johnson, second Dragoons; Captain Henry Heth, of first Infantry, and Lieut. R. J. Harvie.

MILITARY MOVEMENTS IN NEW YORK.

The number of volunteer regiments that are forming in New York city seems to be legion, and the men are rapidly being enrolled. There are in the city at present, among others, the Scott Life Guard, First Regiment; National Guard, Seventh Regiment; Union Volunteers, Tenth Ward Volunteers, Fifth Ward Volunteers, and Union Volunteer Battalion. Hon. Daniel R. Sickles is said to be organizing a company. Colonel Ellsworth, of Zouave fame, has commenced the organization of a Zouave Regiment, to be entirely composed of members of the fire department. It is stated that the Twelfth Regiment is to leave town for Washington within thirty six hours. Of late recruiting has been briskly carried on in this regiment, and its roll contains the names of nearly seven hundred men. Contributions have been tendered to the extent of nearly $5000.

Mr. A. T. Stewart, the princely merchant, has it is said, tendered the government one million dollars from his private fortune. A number of the clerks in the employ of A. T. Stewart & Co. are members of the Seventh Regiment. They have been informed that in the event of their being called to serve the government, their salaries will be continued during the full term of service.

MOVEMENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

Every Federal post in North Carolina has been taken. At Fayetteville Arsenal, 70,000 stand of arms were captured, including 28,000 of the most improved patterns.

WELDON, N.C., April 10.—The passengers on the train from Wilmington today were surprised at almost every point on the road by the energetic preparations for war. At Enfield, two companies of troops were starting for Fort Macon, to garrison that point. The North Carolinians have awoke with an energy that will be terrible to their enemies.

I hear that a company of twenty three free colored men have volunteered their services in throwing up sand batteries. John Long, a wealthy citizen, has subscribed $2,000 to procure arms for the troops and a messenger left this afternoon for Richmond, commissioned to make the purchase. Secession flags dot the country along the route from Wilmington, and even the negros waved the Confederate banner at the cars as they passed.

KENTUCKY.

A despatch from Louisville, April 17, says:

An extra meeting of the City Council was held this evening, and $50,000 appropriated to arm the city.

It is rumored that a steamer, with Government arms, is en route from St. Louis to Newport, Ky. It is likely that she will be stopped on her trip.

Ex-Vice President Breckinridge writes from Richmond, Ky., to a friend here, as follows:

‘Kentucky should call a Convention without delay, and Lincoln’s extra session of Congress be confronted by fifteen States. This alone can prevent a general civil war.’

The abhorrence to Lincoln’s proclamation is intense amongst the people.

Breckinridge will speak in Lexington tomorrow night and at Louisville on Saturday.

The Memphis and Ohio Railroad offers to transport troops and munitions of war free for the South.

The City Council has appointed a military board and appropriated $50,000 to defend the city.

The Union flags on the steamers have been hauled down, and the citizens are arming and volunteering.

PRENTICE ON LINCOLN’S WAR POLICY.

PRENTICE, of the Louisville Journal, one of the strongest ‘Union’ papers in the country, thus speaks of the call for troops by the Administration:

We are struck with mingled amazement and indignation. The policy announced in the Proclamation deserves the unqualified condemnation of every American citizen. It is unworthy not merely of a statesman, but of a man. It is a policy utterly hair brained and ruinous. If Mr. Lincoln contemplated this policy in the Inaugural Address, he is a guilty dissembler; if he has conceived it under the excitement raised by the seizure of Fort Sumter, he is a guilty hot spur. In either case, he is miserably unfit for the exalted position in which the enemies of the country have placed him. Let the people instantly take him and his administration into their own hands, if they would rescue the land from bloodshed, and the Union from sudden and irretrievable destruction.

BY TELEGRAPH

HARTFORD, CONN., April 18.—The banks of the city this afternoon tendered $500,000 to the Governor for arming the troops. The Connecticut regiment will be organized in a day or two, and prepared to respond to the call of the government.

CHICAGO, ILL., April 17.—At a meeting of the directors of the Burlington Branch of the State Bank of Iowa this morning, it was resolved that the cashier of this bank be directed to advance to the Governor of the State such a sum of money as he may require for the equipment and preparation of the regiment of troops called for by the President of the United States.

MADISON, WIS., April 17.—The Legislature adjourned today sine die. The Governor’s Guards have tendered their services, and have been accepted. Volunteer companies are forming. In all parts of the State the excitement runs high.

NEWARK, N.J., April 18.—The Governor of New Jersey has issued his proclamation, calling out four regiments for the service of the United States.

INDIANAPOLIS, April 18.—The first regiment of Indiana volunteers leave today for Washington. The Bank of the State has tendered the Governor all the money he wants in furnish the Indiana quota of troops to sustain the government.

CINCINNATI, April 18.—The city councils last night passed a resolution tendering the Governor $250,000 in cash, from the sinking fund, and appointed a committee to tender the money to the Governor.

NEW ORLEANS, April 17.—Active preparations are making here for the defence of the city. The city council has appropriated $100,000 for that purpose. In the way of military matters everything is progressing rapidly.

General M.L. Bonham

BRIGADIER GENERAL M.L. BONHAM, of the Confederate States army, leaves this city today for Virginia. He will command the Brigade of ‘Palmettos,’ now on their way to the Border. We learn that the General’s Headquarters will be established at Richmond, instead of Norfolk.

First Regiment Rifles, S.C.M.

The several companies of this command returned to their homes on Saturday last. We but express the general sentiment of the community in tendering to this efficient corps a hearty welcome and the done, which is so clearly their due. For months past they have been on active service—performing duties which were calculated to try their worth as soldiers—and the record is an honorable one. An eminent military writer has given it as his opinion, the spirit and efficiency with which any corps conducts itself, in working parties, is no mean criterion of its general order and discipline. Measured by this standard, the First Regiment Rifles hold no second place among the military of their State. At Castle Pinckney, Morris’ Island, Sullivan Island and James’ Island they have done their duty manfully, and more than one mound of sand attests their fidelity to the cause of the South. In preparation for the recent conflict, they were assigned, by Gen. BEAUREGARD, to the defence of the east end of Sullivan’s Island, where it was supposed that that valiant fleet, with ‘Northern officers,’ would attempt a landing, with a view to and possess Fort Moultrie.’ Day after day the fleet was reported off the shore, but the prudence of the ‘Northern commander’ disappointed our watchful Riflemen, and they were not permitted to do their devoir as would have pleased them best. As a tribute to their public spirit and untiring devotion to the sacred cause, we place on record, for future reference, the roll of the regimental and company officers:

FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS.

J. J. PETTIGREW, Colonel

J. L. BRANCH, Lieut. Colonel.

ELISON CAPERS, Major.

T. G. BARKER, Adjutant.

A. S. HANCKEL, Quartermaster.

R. G. PERKINS, Quartermaster Sergeant.

L. G. YOUNG, Commissary.

J. B. GREGG, Commissary Sergeant.

MEDICAL STAFF.

G. E. TRESCOT, M.D., Surgeon.

T. L. OGIER, Jr., M.D., Assistant Surgeon.

COMPANY OFFICERS.

Washington Light Infantry.—C. H. Simonton, Captain; Oct. Wilkie, First Lieutenant; E. W. Lloyd, Second Lieutenant; J. M. Carson, Third Lieutenant.

German Riflemen.—Jacob Small, Captain; H. Ed. Young, First Lieutenant; A. Lengnick, Second Lieutenant; H. Mensing , Third Lieutenant.

Moultrie Guard.—B. W. Palmer, Captain; —- Barnwell, First Lieutenant; C.E.B. Flagg, Second Lieutenant; W. E. Stoney, Third Lieutenant.

Palmetto Riflemen.—A. Melchers, Captain; R. Issertel, First Lieutenant; P. Schuckmann, Second Lieutenant; A. D. Cohen, Third Lieutenant.

Carolina Light Infantry.—B. G. Pinckney, Captain; Jno. Chambers, First Lieutenant; Hudson Lee, Second Lieutenant; Jno. Munroe, Third Lieutenant.

Meagher Guard.—Ed. McCrady, Jr., Captain; W. N. Heyward, First Lieutenant. P. P. Parker, Second Lieutenant; John McCarthy, Third Lieutenant.

Zouave Cadets.—C. E. Chichester, Captain; R. C. Gilchrist, First Lieutenant; E. John White, Second Lieutenant; B. M. Walpole, Third Lieutenant.

The artillery detachment of the Washington Light Infantry in charge of Fort Washington will be relieved today.

A Rebel War Clerk’s Diary

by John Beauchamp Jones

April 22^nd—Early a few mornings since, I called on Gov. Wise, and informed him that Lincoln had called out 70,000 men. He opened his eyes very widely and said, emphatically, “I don’t believe it.” The greatest statesmen of the South have no conception of the real purposes of the men now in power in the United States. They cannot be made to believe that the Government at Washington are going to wage war immediately. But when I placed the President’s proclamation in his hand, he read it with deep emotion, and uttered a fierce “Hah!” Nevertheless, when I told him that these 70,000 were designed to be merely the videttes and outposts of an army of 700,000, he was quite incredulous. He had not witnessed the Wide-Awake gatherings the preceding fall, as I had done, and listened to the pledges they made to subjugate the South, free the negroes, and hang Gov. Wise. I next told him they would blockade our ports, and endeavor to cut off our supplies. To this he uttered a most positive negative. He said it would be contrary to the laws of nations, as had been decided often in the Courts of Admiralty, and would be moreover a violation of the Constitution. Of course I admitted all this; but maintained that such was the intention of the Washington Cabinet. Laws and Courts and Constitutions would not be impediments in the way of Yankees resolved upon our subjugation. Presuming upon their superior numbers, and under the pretext of saving the Union and annihilating slavery, they would invade us like the army-worm, which enters the green fields in countless numbers. The real object was to enjoy our soil and climate by means of confiscation. He poohed me into silence with an indignant frown. He had no idea that the Yankees would dare to enter upon such enterprises in the face of an enlightened world. But I know them better. And it will be found that they will learn how to fight, and will not be afraid to fight.

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