The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-02 00:00:00

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

LIVERPOOL, SUNDAY.

The Royal Mail screw steamer Australasian, 1
Capt. Anderson, which sailed from New York on
the 21st inst., via Queenstown, arrived here at an
early hour this morning.
The New York Times of the 21st gives the fol-
lowing as the "situation of affairs" at that date :
"An arrival at Fortress Monroe from the Gulf,
bring advices from New Orleans to the Bth inst.,
and from Pensacola to the 11th. The news from
New Orleans corroborates to a certain extent, what

has reached us through rebel channels. Gen. Butler
Landed on the Ist inst., and at first occupied the
Custom-house as his headquarters, but subsequently
removed to St. Charles Hotel. Affairs were begin-
ning to assume a more satisfactory appearance in
the city. The Opelousas and Jackson Railroad had
been taken possession of, and all the approaches to
the city bad been cut off. Gen. Phelps had occupied
Carrolton five miles up the river. Porter's mortar
fleet had reconnoitred the approaches to the harbour
of Mobile, and had taken soundings preparatory to
an attack. Pensacola was evacuated on the night of
the 9th inst., as before stated. General Arnold, in
command at Fort Pickens, had succeeded in saving
a portion of the public property. The city and forts
had been occupied by our forces, and Gen. Arnold
-was expected to establish his headquarters on shore.
The steamer Rhode Island, which brings this intel.
ligence to Fortress Monroe has on board a number
of prisoners taken in the naval battle below New
Orleans.
" On Monday General M'Clellan's army again
commenced a forward movement in the direction of
the rebel capital. The advance, under Gen. Stone-
man, reached the railroad bridge across the Chicka-
hominy on Sunday, and found that structure very
little damaged—only two spans of it having been
burned, which could be replaced with very little
difficulty. The pickets of the enemy were found
to be guarding the whole line of the river in front
of Richmond.

" A despatch from the army yesterday, dated at
Tunstal's station, on the railroad between West
Point and Richmond, announces that the advance

under General Stoneman, after securing thel;rid-ge
over the Chickahommy, had pushed on to Cold
Harbour, on the road running to Richmond, by
way of New Bridge, where he found the enemy
in force. lie drove in their pickets to within
two 133.11 es of the main body, and encamped.
This was on Monday night. The indications
now are that the rebels intend to make
a ' desperate fight for the possession of Rich-
mond, unless our gunboats should succeed in
Passing the obstructions in the James River, in
Which case there will probably be a stampede.
" The Washington Intelligencer of Monday even-
ivr makes the unofficial statement that the Galena
and Monitor returned to City Point after their re-
pulse at Fort Darling on Thursday, and that the
Aroostook, Port Royal, and Nangatuck, continued
their trip down to Jamestown Island. The Wash-
ington Star states the damage to the Nangatuck
has been repaired, another 100-popnder having been
mounted upon her. The transport Baltimore,
which took:Secretaries Seward and Welles up James
River, on her return on Sunday morning met six
gun boats going towards Richmond. Tbis is in
accordance with the reports already published by
that effective measures were being taken for

the reduction of the rebel batteries at Fort Darling.
From the accounts given this morning it will be

seen that the 'repulse' of our gun boats from these
batteries was just no repulse at all, but that they
were simply forced to withdraw temporarily from
lack of amunition. The rebels having deserted the
banks of the river below, the way is clear for our
supply vessels to go up.

" The Washington Star of Monday evening says :
We have direct news from General McClellan's
head-quarters up to a very late period, when he
had moved them to Baltimore Cross Roads, a point
on the Pamunkey River, near where the Richmond
and York River Railroad crosses it, and within four
miles of Bottom's Bridge, behind the ruins of which
the rebels boasted they were to have made their
grand stand for the defence of Richmond. Ho had
reconnoitred in person quite up to the bridge, and
bad found that there were no rebels in arms on this
side of it. The impression prevails in his camps
that the river's (Pamunkey) immediate south bank
had also been abandoned for a line of defence some
miles nearer Richmond, If that proves true, it

strikes us that it will be most advantageous for us,
as being likely to give us, shortly, direct and unin-
terrupted communication between the bulk of our
army there, and the fleet operating before Fort
Darling. Our whole army are as confident as ever
of the ultimate success of the campaign, which is
being worked out day by day and step by step; each
succeeding hour seeing some advantage gained that
brings them securely nearer to Richmond.'
" A letter from our gun-boat flotilla above
Memphis says By the arrival of deserters from
below, we learn that Commodore Farragut's gun
boats are still ascending the river, spreading con-
sternation among the inhabitants wherever they
appear, Vicksburg and Natchez—the Sodom
and Gomorrah of the South—are both believed to
be in our possession, and several gun boats are re-
ported to be advancing upon Memphis, from below.
In the latter city a vast amount of cotton, Einar,

and molasses has been burned and rolled into the

liver, and destruction is still going on.' Another let-
ter from the flotilla has this statement You will

perceive, by perusing the Memphis papers enclosed,
that Curtis is in possession of Little Rock, and is
laosv descending the Arkansas River, and will make
a inaction with our forces at Memphis.
"Another band of guerillas has been destroyed in
Western Virginia, and their leader killed."
Richmond papers of the 16th have been received
at General M'Clellan's head-quarters. They con-
tain a correspondence between the Virginia legis-
lature and Jeff Davis in regard to the recent move-
ments of the rebel army. He stated that he had
never intended to withdraw the army from Virginia
and abandon the state; that if, in the course of
events, Richmond should fall, the necessity of
which he did not see or anticipate, that would be
no reason for withdrawing
the army from Virginia.
In his opinion the war could be successfully carried
on and maintained on Virginian soil for 20 years,
The Memphis dippeo/ of the 15th contains the
following despatch addressed to the rebel Secretary
of State, dated Camp Moore, 11th t—
" Gen. Butler yesterday took forcible possession
of the office of the consul of the Netherlands,
searched the person of the consul, and took from
him the key of a bank vault, in which were 800,000
&la., transferred by the Citizens' bank to Hope,g
bank, of Amsterdam, intended for the payment of
the interest on the Confederate bonds. Gen. Butler
also took possession of the offices of the French and
Spanish consulates, in the old Canal bank, and
placed a squad there. He also seized the Canal
bank and Smith bank, and has issued an inflamma-
tory proclamation to incite the poor against the
rich, promising to distribute to the poor 100 barrels
of beef and sugar captured in Now Orleans. He is
recruiting in New Orleans. The poor will soon be
starved. The enemy have sent a force up to Bonne
Carre, which marched through the swamps and de-
stroyed the railroad bridge."
The despatch is not signed.
The Vicksburg Citizen of the 12th, says that the
latest we can learn of the gunboats below is that
'Tunica,
supposed are between Forts Adams and Bayou
supposed to be in or about the Red River, cut off.
The New York Skipping List says:—
" Nothing of especial interest has transpired in
regard to war movements since our last, except the
repulse of tho expedition of iron-clad vessels of
war up the James River. This temporary reverse
may be accounted for by the fact that the guns of
the boats could not he brought to bear on the
fortifications known as Fort Darling, which is
situated on a bluff 150 to 200 feet high, about seven
miles below Richmond. After four hours' action,
finding all efforts useleis in that position of affairs,
' and the 100 pounder gun of the Nan
gatuck having [-
exploded at the first fire, with loss of life to some of I
the crew, a portion of the boats came down the
river as far as Jamestown Island, which Hes off
Williamsburg, and is about the same distance
from Richmond. The river is clear to a point within I