The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-21 00:00:00

AMERICA.

NEW YORK, AUG. 9, Evening.
(PER CITY OF BALTIMORE, via QUEENSTOWN.)
More skirmishing has taken place in Missouri.
The Southern Privateers are reported to be very
active off the coast of North Carolina.

The operations of the Federal army on the Vir-
ginia side of the Potomac are being very actively
carried on.

Prince Napoleon has visited Fairfax and

Manassas.

The Canadian mail steamship Anglo-Saxon,wlaich
touched at Londonderry yesterday, has arrived.
A despatch dated Springfield (Mobile), August 2
gives an account of an engagement at Dug Spring:---

LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY.
A battle occurred to-day at Dug Spring, 19 miles south
of this place, between the Federal forces under Gen. Lyon,
and the Confederate troops under Gen. M'Culloch, in which
eight of the former were killed and 30 wounded, and 40 of
the latter killed and 44 wounded.

Gen. Lyon took 80 stand of arms and 15 horses and
waggons.

A troop of United States' cavalry, 270 strong, made Et
charge upon a body of rebel infantry, said to have been
4,000 strong, cutting their way through, and routing them
with a loss of only five men. The charge was a most gallant
and terrible one, several of the Confederates being found
with their heads cloven entirely through.
The enemy retired during the night, and Gen. Lyon took
possession of the field.

A battle was momentarily expected, the enemy being is
large force west of Springfield.
A second despatch says that news reached on ThursdaY
that the enemy were advancing on in three columns with et
force of some 20,000.
Gen. Lyon immediately set out to meet them with the
2d and 3d New York Regiments, and the 4th and 2d Kansas
and Ist lowa Regiments, with two or three companies Of
regular infantry, and two or three companies of regular
cavalry, from Camp M'Clellan, about 12 miles west of here.

Gen. Lyon encamped that evening on Tyrel Creek, an&
on Friday advanced to Dug Spring, about 19 miles south-
west of Springfield, when he obtained intelligence of the
enemy.

A fight took place between 4 and 6 p.m.
A party of 270 of Gen. Lyon's cavalry, as previously
reported, were crossing a ridge of high land particularly
enclosed on the east by a valley, and, when descending
the hill, came upon a large force of the enemy's infantry,
variously estimated at from 3.000 to 4,000. Being unable
to retreat, they charged and cut their way through, with
the loss of only five men. The lieutenant commanding the'
cavalry was killed, after killing eight of the rebels. Mean
time the enemy appeared in large numbers moving along
the valley, but they were put to flight by our artillery. Our
infantry was not engaged. The Confederates retreated
southward to a place called M'Culloch's Store, on the
Fayetteville-road. The number of Confederates found dead
amounted to 40, and some 44 wounded were picked up-
General Lyon is said to be strongly entrenched in close.
proximity to the enemy, and another battle was expected,.
It is said that there is a body of some 5,000 men 30 miles
west of us, who are coming in to attack the town during
General Lyon's absence. We have here two companies of
the 3d Regiment of Missouri Volunteers, and about 700 or
800 Home Guards from the surrounding counties, and We
pieces of artillery. While I write, two companies of the
Home Guards have just gone out to reconnoitre for the
enemy from the west. We are waiting for them with confi-
dent hearts and strong arms, determined that they shall not
take the town without a bloody struggle.

An engagement had also taken place on the sth-
in Missouri, which is reported as follows :
A band of rebels numbering from 1,000 to 1,200 men, wade
an attack on a camp of Union men at Athens, Missouri, on
Monday morning last, at 5 o'clock. There was a consider-
able amount of arms and ammunition for the United States'
troops stored at this place, under a guard of troops com-
posing this camp. The fighting lasted about an hour, when
the rebels ran. The United States' Volunteers, numbering
350 men, were reinforced by 150 men, and gave chase to
the rebels for about a mile a half, killing five, taking 18 pri-
soners, and capturing 31 horses and two Secession flags,.
Several of the rebels were also wounded during the chase,
After the battle six or eight rebels were found dead on the
field. Three Union men were killed.

The Confederate privateer Petrel, formerly the
United States' revenue cutter Aiken, ran out of
Charleston harbour and fired into the Federal fri-
gate St. Lawrence, under the impression that she
was a merchant vessel. The St. Lawrence re-
turned the fire with a broadside which sunk the
Petrel. All but five of her crew were rescued by
the frigate. It is stated that the privateer was cut
in two by the broadside.

Several Confederate privateers are reported to
have been very successful in capturing Federal
vessels off the coast of North Carolina.
The Confederates had constructed numerous land
batteries at Cape Hatteras and other points along
the coast, with which to cover the retreat of their
privateers when chased by Federal cruisers.

HOW THE SUMTER PRIVATEER GOT

TO SBA.

A letter dated Federal steamer Brooklyn, Mouth
of the Mississippi, July 10th, says :—" Since my last
missive, of the 28th ult., items of interest have
turned up,' of which, as an opportunity nog'
occurs, I hasten to apprise you. Sunday last, the
7th inst., as the following will vividly show, was a-
day pregnant with misfortune for us. It was then
the pirate Sumter escaped us, and that, too, by our
own injudicious management. Now, as there is the
greatest probability that this steamer, manned as
she is by a band of cutthroats, will capture, robt
and sink, or burn some of our merchant vessels,
laden with valuable cargoes, I opine it will be no-
thing more than fair if the manner of her escape is
put upon record in your journal—so here goes :----
At daybreak on the morning of Sunday, the look-
out discovered a vessel in the offing, acting very
suspiciously and leading us to believe that she would
run the blockade if an opportunity was given her.
We duly got under weigh, and went in pursuit of
her. She kept standing off, and led us a merry
chase of some fifteen miles from our anchorage, but
finally overhauling her, we found her to be an
English barque, bound for New Orleans; we warned
her not to attempt to enter. During this chase it
was reported to our captain that, taking advantage
of our absence from Pass i•l'Outre, a steamer was
making its way down the river with terrific speed;
Instead of continuing to follow the confounded old
barque upon the reception of such important intelli-
gence, we should have ignored her presence, and,
instantly putting about, hastened back to the river
with all possible speed ; for it had been uraiversallY
known for a long time that the Secession man-of-war
steamer Sumter was lying at the head of the Pass,
awaiting an opportunity to pass us and escape,
that she might be at large upon the high seas
to plunder and murder indiscriminately. But
no; our captain did not seem to discern the neces-
sity of such an action, but kept our vessel steaming
on, until, overtaking the barque, he simply ordered
her on board as stated. 'Tis true, in doing this we
were performing our duty to the very letter; but it
was of minor importance when compared to the in-
terception of a vessel notoriously a pirate. When
he returned it was reported to us that the Sumter
had already succeeded in crossing the bar, and at
this moment our captain, as if awakening from
sleep, ordered us to carry all the steam possible/
and crowd on all sail, and start in pursuit of the
fugitive. This order had hardly been carri ed into
effect when a terrible squall came up, and
it con-
tinued with such severity that for awhile we could.
not see the length of our ship ahead of us. For
fear of grounding, we lessened our speed, and even-
tually stopped a'together, so until the
remaining
squall had passed. Much to our chagrin, we then
_
saw the Sumter a very great distanceaheadof us,
caonndtignuoient
ttbhercobuagshe,tbhuetwsahteer witch,slloikwelya
increased
the
We
distance between us, it being a dead calrn after the
use our sails our squall, and we could not •Had
vessel been in as good condition as she was at the
commencement of this cruise, instead of the miser-
able state she is now in, we could have caught her
easily under steam alone. Still we kept and at
p.m. we were gladdened by to wind coming
around fair and freshening
every moment. We
fourmadep
all sail until the spars and masts cracked and
groaned under their burden, and we were rewarded
by the fact that we were rapidly gaining upon the
eitallivs€od us to feel unusually well, as
would be a nice job' if we could
Swuenai tregru,
ewd htibcalit
succeed in trapping
juncture
Captain of the pirate. Suddenly, at this
affairpse,
earndervdeerryedtutrbneinebigppoitne b
t ine our
favour,
put
about, to abandon the chase, and return to our
anchorage. Amazement was depicted upon the
countenance of every man on board, and, as a matter
of course, the greatest and most bitter indignation
prevailed because of this action. It was so uncalled-
for, so inexplicable, that wonder and scorn were the
predominant feelings manifested.

A duel with swords took place, three days ago,
at Puy (Haute-Loire), between Capt. and Capt'
F-----, of the 81st Regiment of the Line, when the latter
was dangerously wounded. The blade penetrated into the
chest, and produced a dangorous effusion of blood. The
wounded officer was taken to the Hotel Dieu, where every'
attention was paid t 3 him, and hopes are entertained that
he is now out of danger. His adversary called on him at
the hospital, shook him warmly by the hand, and expressed
his sincere wishes for his speedy recoverTi ' The Cause Of
the 4101 is Aot stated,

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