The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-25 00:00:00

The New York Herald of the 13th says :

" George Pope reports to Gen. Halleck that Jack-
son's rebel forces retreated under cover of Monday
night across the Rapidan river; that the rebel rear
guard was crossing the river towards Orange Court
House yesterday morning ; and further, that the
Union cavalry and artillery were in pursuit.
" It is plain from the result of the action that
Gen. Jackson's forces must have suffered severely.
The prisoners report that their own troops were
mowed..down like grass, and that they were three
times, 'heavily reinforced.

". Over 20,000 of the rebels took part in the action,
but only two divisions of Gen. Banks's army were
engaged. A telegram, dated Culpepper Court
House, Virginia, evening of the 12th, says :
" 4 The battle of Saturday, the 9th, is one of the
most important of the war, not merely on account of
the desperate valour and unfaltering discipline dis-
played by our troops, the obstinacy of the contest
and the heavy loss on both sides, but because of
its important effect on the campaign of which it
makes a part.
1" The campaign on the part of Jackson is an at-
tempt to penetrate and recover the valley of the
Shenandoah, whence the richest supplies of the
enemy are drawn, and the possession of which was
of a practical importance in the endeavour to hold
Virginia as a part of the attempted Confederacy
hardly to be estimated. At the same time the rebel
leaders hoped by this movement to so threaten
Washington and Maryland as to relieve Richmond
and withdraw oar armies to the line of the Poto-
mac. To secure such objects as these, and know-
ing that the Government was now relatively weaker
and the rebellion stronger than could again occur
in the war, the Richmond leaders sent the flower of
the Southern infantry under their most popular
and enterprising generals ; a large body of cavalry
under their most distinguished cavalry officer,
Major-General Stuart, and an abundance of artil-
lery,

" g When Jackson had arrived with his forces as
far as Louisa Court House and Gordonsville, and
.found the disposition of General Pope's troops such
that not only his purpose to enter the valley was
foiled, but his own direct communications with
Richmond were interrupted, he called for further
reinforcements, and with those which were freely
furnished attempted to stem General Pope's
further advance upon that railroad, the destruc-
tion or even the permanently threatening of which
must bar from Richmond all hope of the mate-
rial or political control of Central Virgi-
nia. Jackson attempted by a feint upon
Morrison Court House and Sperryville to detain
our force at the latter point, while at the same time
he threw the mass of his forces, numbering 35,000
men, by way of Orange Court House, upon ns at
Culpepper, expecting to find only a portion of our
forces there, which he could overwhelm, and then
march on Sperryville from Culpepper, and crush
the army corps of Sigel. His plans were com-
pletely foiled by the rapid concentration of our
forces at Culpepper, and their advance to meet him
at Cedar Run. The cool and determined temper
of Banks accepted the proffered battle as soon as
offered, and the battle of Saturday afternoon was
fought between the advance of Jackson under him-
self and Ewell. After endeavouring in vain t o
rout and drive Banks's corps, Jackson found him-
self compelled at night, by the rapid movements in
front of him, to fall back to a strong defensive po-
sition in Cedar Mountain, and finding his line of
retreat growing insecure, on the succeeding night
he retreated altogether, retiring beyond Robert-
son's River, and again beyond the Rapidan.
The result is Jackson is again foiled and forced to
abandon his operations, and his prestige is seri-
ously impaired. He will be rapidly followed.'
" The following is Gen. Pope's official report :
" Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Aug. 12.

"'The enemy has retreated under cover of the
night. His rearguard are now crossing the Rapi-
dan towards Orange Court House. Oar cavalry
and artillery are in pursuit.

`JOHN POPE, Major-General.

" ' To Major-General Halleck.'

" There is no news of importance from General
isi‘Clellan. The camp is very quiet, and the health
of the command has been greatly improved.
The rebel General Morgan is reported to hav e
taken possession of Gallatin, Texas, which he has
occupied with a large force of rebels. Col. Boone,
of Kentucky, and four companies of troops from
that state, are said to have been captured.
" From Missouri we learn that Independence was
captured by the rebels, 1,500 strong, under Colonels
Hughes and Quantrell, after an hour's fighting.
There is great excitement at Lexington, and every
one is arming for the conflict.
" It has been semi-officially announced that draft-
ing cannot be put in operation in New York State
until Ist September, as it will take until that time
to complete the preliminary arrangements."
The following Southern telegrams give the de-
tails of the reported capture of Baton Rouge and
the destruction of the ram Arkansas. A special
despatch to the Mobile Advertiser and Register,
dated Jackson, Bth, says :
"General Van Dorn permits me to copy the fol-
-I"il3g despatches :

" Amite River, Aug. 6, 1862.
" About one o'clock this morning the Federal
gunboats attacked the Confederate ram Arkansr.s.
Messenger% inform me that she fought them well
for some time, inflicting great damage. She was
then blown up by her crew. The messenger thinks
they all escaped.

"'JOHN C. BRECKENRIDGE. '
ti Collett'S River, 10 miles from Baton Rouge,
August 6, 1862.
" ' We occupied the whole of the town and the
battlefield till evening, but no decisive result was
gained after my last despatch.
There being
gno
I
water between here and the Misititiaippi River com-
pelled me to come here. I
movcd at my
w
time and in order. The Arkansas with
her machinery injured 50 miles above the town
all day yesterday. Her commander ,ent
me word last evening that he would
try to
get her up the river, and asked if it be possible
to send her a boat to aid him. From the reports
she is permanently unserviceable. We burned
nearly all of their camps and a large amount of
stores, and cut them up badly. General Williams
and other prominent officers are killed.
" J. C. BRECKINRIDGE.

" Rumours says that General Clark is a prisoner.
Parties from the field say that our victory was com-
plete. The ground was strewed with the dead and
wounded.

" The Richmond H hig, of the 9th August, says :
----‘ The confederate sloop of war Arkansas, Lieu-
tenant H. K. Stevens, of South Carolina, command-
ing, left Vicksburg on Monday to co-operate in the
attack on Baton Rouge. After passing Bayou Sara
some portion of her machinery became disabled,
and she was hauled in towards the shore for re-
pairs. Whilst in this position she was attacked by
a fleet of Yankee gunboats from below. After a
gallant resistance she was abandoned and blown
up. The officers and crew, we are informed,
reached the shore in safety.'
" A. special despatch to the Mobile Advertiser and
fiegister, dated Knoxville, yesterday, says
Heavy skirmishing commenced on Tuesday with
a large portion
of the enemy at Tazewell, seven
milcs from Cumberland Gap. Ono brigade of
General Stevenson's force was engaged on our side:
the design was to gain the enemy's rear, and cut
The artillery firing was
them off from the gap.
very heavy. Several prisoners have been brought
in from Tazewell. No particulars of the fight re-
ceived. General Rains, at last account, Was mak-
ing a foi ced march to gain the enemy's rear,
Brigadier General W. Caswell was this after-

,;o•

noon assassinated by an unknown person near his
residence, six miles from Knoxville.'

A Cairo telegram of the 12th in says :
Rebel authority reports that Breckinridge at-
tacked Baton Rouge on Tuesday morning last.
He was at first repulsed with heay. . loss. Gene-
ral Clarke., of Mississippi, and Colonel Thomas
Hunt, of Kentucky, were killed. The repulse is
laid to the Arkansas, which failed to arrive in
time. On the afternoon of the same day
Breckenridge is said to have telegraphed to the
trrenada Appeal that the Arkansas had arrived and
destroyed two of our gunboats, and driven off our
fleet, and that he had captured the entire Union
forces of that place.
"A telegraphic dispatch to the Richmond Exa-
miner, dated Mobile the Bth, says A very rapid
steamer, well loaded with many desirable articles,
arrived safely at a Southern port on the 6th. The
vigilance of the blockading squadron was eluded
without trouble. A schooner from Havannah ran
the blockade yesterday morning. Her cargo con-
sists of powder, lead, caps, salt, coffee, cavalry,
sabres, and soap,'"
The New York Herald of the 13th says :
" Yesterday, as well as on Monday and Sunday
last, the excitement which had been caused at the
office of Mr. Archibald, the British consul, was con•
tinned without much intermission, and the anxiety
of the hundreds assembled to obtain passports was
very pressing.

" Monday and yesterday the office was scarcely
allo wed to be opened until it was filled to suffoca-
tion, and not less than from 700 to 800 persons were
present. Yesterday morning Mr. Archibald, British
consul, arrived in the Cunard mail steamship Scotia,
from England, and being informed of the position
of affairs for the previous two days lost no time in
getting up to his office. On seeing how matters
stood the consul requested that some members of
the New York police force should be sent to the
consulate rooms, which was at once complied with.
the
clerks Although the vice. consul, Mr. Edwarat
possible and h e
clerks are doing their businco3 faiLly
within the bounds of their powers, yet the presence
of the members of the police has had a good effect.
Inside the two days there could not have been less
than from ten to twelve hundred attended at the
office. These are charged 2 dols. each ; but where
the parties state their inability to pay the amount
they get them free.
co A great number of those who are seeking pass-
ports to evade being drafted, and not understanding
the real import of these documents, nor yet much
about drafting, it became necessary for Mr. Archi-
bald to issue the following orders, which are posted
on both the outside and inside doors :

" " Consulate Office.

British subjects who have never been natura-
lised abroad are required by law to deposit the
proof of their nationality with the county clerk at the
City Hall. This will render them exempt from
military service. No certificate from the consul is
required by law.'
" Yesterday.the granting of passports was car-
ried on more rapidly, as better order and regularity
seemed to prevail. On making the necessary in-
quiries as to where all those who are claiming Eng-
lish protection from drafting are intending to pro-
ceed, we were told that the greater portion, so far,
were destined for Ireland and Germany; many were
going to California, and a goodly number to the
Canadas. Be this as it may, there can be no doubt
whatever but they will make a location somewhere
before they submit to take up arms in defence of
the Northern States, where they have lived so long,
and realised such advantages for themselves and
children, large numbers having gone far in making
an independence for a future day."
A San Francisco telegram of the ith instant
says, that owing to the shelving beach and the
heavy surf, there was little probability of saving
the treasure from the wreck of the steamer Golden
Gate, Another despatch of the 9th says that the
steamer Active had been chartered to visit the
wreck, and to endeavour to recover the gold.
Dr. Charles Mackay writes as follows to the
New York Times :

" You state in your paper of Sunday that I have
denied being the writer of the New York correspon-
dence of the London Times. You have been misin-
formed. I never made any such denial to any per-
son, authorised or unauthorised, to ask the question.
Since my arrival in America, I have neither taken
pains to promulgate nor to conceal a fact that has
ceased for many months to be a secret on either side
of the Atlantic.—l am, sir, your obedient servant,
" CHARLES MACKAY.

" New York Hotel, Tuesday, August 12."
A telegram from Toronto says that there was an
extraordinary number of Americans in that city to
escape being drafted. Advices from some of the
frontier towns in the United States mention that
large numbers had been intercepted in their in-
tended flight into Canada._
_

The British steamer Lodona, from Hull, with a
full cargo, arrived at Port Royal on the 7th inst.,
a prize to the United States steamer Unadilla. She
was from England direct, and was taken while at-
tempting to run into Ossabaw Sound.
Yellow fever had made its appearance at Key
West, and the Federal steamer San Jacinto, which
had arrived from that place at Boston, had thirty
cases of the disease among her crew.