The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-08-19 00:00:00

THE WAR IN AMERICA.

The intelligence brought by the Montreal, ocean
steamship, on Wednesday, shows that the position of
the army of the Potomac was critical In the extreme.
It &eine to be surrounded on all sides by the Con-
federates, so that if it escapes annihilation it will be
almost miraculous. Two new Confederate rams had
made their appearance in the James River, and in any
operations that may be undertaken against M'Clellan
these will be powerful auxiliaries. A conflict between
the forms of General Pope and the Confederates under
Ewell was expected, and as both forces are apparently
large the battle, come when It may, is likely to be •
bloody one. A meeting of the State Legislature of
Kentucky had been summoned to consider the aspect of
public affairs, and; in connection with Lincoln's recent
emancipation manifestations, to make provision for the
safety of Kentuoky institutions. Guerilla warfare still
continues in the Border States, and, as no mention is
made of success by the Federal arms over those roving
bands, the preenroption is that the raids were suocessfeL
Great sickness, it is reported, prevailed on board the
Federal fleet at Vieksbnrg, and it was rumoured that
the fleet would return to Memphis.
Wryer IT Cl/WM.—The New York Tribune, begin-
ning to count the coats, remarke that Congress, in its
recent Session, passed Bills which, in the aggregate,
appropriated out of the Treasury the sum of
913,000,000 dole., and in the extra Session last summer
pawed Bills appropriating 266,000,000 dole.' making to-
gether 1,178,000,000 deb., nearly all of which was
rendered necessary by the war. The Army Bill alone
of the recent Session appropriated within a fraction of
£559,000,000, an amount, says the Tribune, larger, no
doubt, than was every before embraced in one law or
decree of any Government upon earth. The paper
adds, that its "misguided Southern brethren" are ex-
pensive relatives and their memories will be reckoned
very dear by posterity.
The New York Herald says :—" We learn from a
despatch from Nashville that a rebel mail has been
captured by our army. The letters contain valuable
information. Beauregard has resigned, and gone to the
Springs in Alabama. Bragg is at Vicksburg with 20,000
men, but is scarce of horse,. An artillery company from
Georgia could not be supplied with either guns or horses.
The rebel letters seised were from Tupello, Mississippi,
50 miles south of Corinth. The writers are anticipating
the early re-oecupation of Tennessee by rebel troops,
and every rebel warlike indication favours the supposi-
tion. The rebels are reported to have evacuated
Lebanon, with the intention to mass their troops at •
given point for a sudden dash upon Nashville.
BAIT. —ln addition to the regular pay of 13 dollars a
month and 100 dollars bounty, from the Federal
Government, the state of New York offers volunteers a
special bounty of 50 dollars. In fact, says the New
Yotk Tribune, since, "in all human probability, the
rebellion will be crashed out and the war ooneluded
within a year," a volunteer will receive about 26
dollars a moatli, besides clothes and rations, and
"there are few men comparatively that can secure a
better income in any other way."
A special despatch from Vickaborg, on the 23rd, re-
counts a gallant but unsueoessfal attempt to c ipture
the rebel ram Arkansas. It appears that, according to
agreemeat between Commodores Davis and Farragut,
the fleet from below was to engage the lower batteriee,
and the fleet above would engage the upper ones, while
the gunboats Essex and Queen were in the meantime
to attack the Arkansas and tow her out. In conse-
quent* of • misunderstanding only a few shells were
fired from the mortars below, and had no other effect
than to divert the fire from the Essex, which attempted
to run into the Arkansas, and jam her against the
levee, but the latter swung round and the Essex
grazed her side. As she passed she gave the rebel
craft three eleven-inch shot from her bow guns. Upon
finding herself unsupported she dropped down the
river. The Queen, coming to her aid, ran into the
Arkansas, making her tremble from stem to stern. Re-
covering herself the Queen ran on her again, but so forci-
lily as to strain her own works badly. Both boats then
returned up the river.
. _ _ _

Deepatches from Fortress Monroe of the 29th state
that General M'Clellan had issued orders for every
man to be
.ready for action at a moment's notice. It
was thought that an attack from General Jackson
might be expected at any time, and it was not known
whether he would attack General Pope's or General
M'Clellan's army, and, if General fit'Clellan's, it was
not known in what quarter. It was the prevailing
opinion in the army that an immediate movement was
to be made ; that the actions of the Confederates of
late have indicated it is unmistakable, and that
General M'Clellan was ready for them, no matter from
what quarter they might approach ; but few pro-
bably know where to find General Jackson, as the
Confederates say he takes what men he wants, and
goes where he likes, and does as he chooses with
them.

-The Grenada Appeal of the 24th says Commodore
Davis and his gunboats attacked the batteries of Vicks-
burg and the ram Arkansas, and had been repulsed,
with the loss of five boats sunk and disabled.
A despatch from New York, July 31, says that the
New York Committee proposes to the President to pay
no bounty after the 18th August, and, if the State
quota was not then filled, to instantly draft. The Pre-
sident so:ceded to the proposition, and gave the com-
mittee a letter to the War Department, recommending
the issue of orders to that effect, with the consent of
Governor Morgan,
TRI MASSACRE ON BOAMOICE ISLAND.—The Itieh-
mond Examiner of the 24th July has the following:
"It is believed in Eastern North Carolina that an insur-
rection has taken place among the several thousand
runaway negroes on Roanoke -Island. It is said that
becoming enraged with the harsh usage experienced
at the hands alf their new masters,they took advantage of
an opportunity presented while the Yankees were at
dinner, and, seizing the stacked arms, fired into them
lind killed beyond. The Yankees, recovering from the panic
Into which they were at first thrown, retook their guns
and slaughtered almost every negro on the island."
The Richmond Enquirer, of the same day, contains the
following: We learn, by a gentleman from North
Carolina, that the Yankee forces on Roanoke
Island having become very oppressive in their
measures towards the negroes in their employ, the
latter a few days ago rose upon the Yankees and killed
a large number of them. Subsequently the Yankees
armed themselves with revolvers and massacred about
eight hundred of the negro labourers. The nest day
the Yankees evacuated the island.

FEDIRAL GEnitnera—Major— Anderson, who lost
Fort Sumter, was made a brigadier-general, at one time
honoured with the command of • major-general.
General M'Dowell, whose carelessness and laziness con-
tributed much to the loss of Bull Run, has been pro-
moted and continued in a very important command.
General Butler, who lost the fight at Big Bethel, was
given the important command of the Gulf, where his
merits in civil duties have redeemed his military inac-
tion. Col. Mulligan, who allowed himself to be cur.
rounded at Lexington, has been made • brigadier.
general. General Sturges, who failed to relieve
Mulligan, ban received repeated honours. General
IreWhin, who has nearly used up the Lined army ever

organised, is retained in command over old and nu ri-
!orlon officers. General Haßeek, who permitted tbe
complete evacuation of Corinth by the rohel, no 'dared,
is made commander-in-chief. tienentl Burnside, whose
counsel would have saved Bull Ran, and whose I. crvioes
in North Carolina have been a continued and brill'ant
success, is pot, with his troops, under a do-nothing
general. Not a single old army officer of high rank who
remained loyal join prominent command, except Buill,
whim° nape Ii a synonym for sloth, and who is
notorious for lenient dealings with rebols.—New York
Rreninp_Pust,

RESTUNATION OF CIENFMAL llgxuntt-
GanD.—The Herald, and other New York journals of
the 314 ult., somewhat pompously announce the
"resignation" of General Beanregard. By the following
paragraph, however, extracted from the Richmond
ItiXo 111171er of the 24th July, it will be seen that this dis-
tinguished Confederate general has only been "relieved
from his command" for a short time, so that he might
recruit Ids health, which was somewhat impaired by the
arduous duties of the recent campaigns; "As many
Idle stories have been going the round of the paper+ re-
lative to General Beauregard's whereabouts and the
cause of his absence from the army, we think it well to
state that be is at present with his family at Illation
Springs, South Alabama.. It will he recollected that
General Beaurogard took the field in the south-west
when our fortunes in that quarter were in their darkest
period. In the active campaign which ensued, and in
the perfect organisation of the immense army at
Corinth, he performed labonrs which seriously affected
his health, and rendered a period of rest and recupera-
tion absolutely neceaary. That lie might enjoy the
much-flooded rest, he procured a relief from his com-
mand for a few months."