Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-08-26
For the Spirit of the Age.

oTCAPT. RETAIL, TO E WHOLESALE,
concerning the celebration at Harrington,
august the first. Intercepted through the
disloyalty Of the bearer.
Head quarters of the ~vanquished army,
August lst, IL P. M.
The undersigned. Capt. Retail, comman-
der of King Alcohol's forces at Harrington,
has the honor Of submitting to your excellen-
CIV, Gen. Wholesale, the following report:
Your excellency is aware, that his Majesty !
once had an undisputed title to all this Sec /
ton of country And also that the Rebels,
the Sons of Temperance, have had a small
fortress at Pennington for several years, not
withstanding we have used every conceivable
plan to destroy it during that time. Well,
to come to the point, for | cannot make q
lengthy report, the garrison has been recruit
ing with our deserters till they have the bold
ness to sally out and attack his Majesty's
forces in broad day light. And not satisfied
with this, but to make a great display with
fireworks. &c, at night, to the utter diseom-
The object of this report is to give you the
facts in the case, and to inquire of you what
is to be done ? for something must be done,
and that speedily, or his Majesty's cause is
irretrievably ruined in this section of coun-
try. If you cannot give me counsel and aid
that will enable me to meet the emergency,
please inform his Majesty, by express, as |
have you, of the state Of affairs perhaps he
may be able with his numerous counsellors
to put me on some feasible plan. But it is
useless to write reports, orders or resolutions
on paper, except you send US more forces or
something to employ them with, for l tell
you the last man has forsaken me, Except
the negro boy, bearer of these dispatches) and
my old ac0mGn, to boot.
Now | have a suggestion to make, and /
wish to know whether or not it meets your
appreciation. That is, TO try to get the Rebels
to consent, for a time, to an armistice. ]
care not for how long, but till corn-husking
time, anyhow. This would give us time tx
augment our forces, by telling the people tina
| they could not find sale for the corn were i
> not for his Majesty, and by giving those VIII
have none to sell q little of the overjoytul
I But as I said before, | am entirely powerless
= and to endeavor to conclude the armistic
: might be something like the fable of the rat
J celebrating how they should bell the cat.
U I could tell you something of the opera
tions of the Rebels to 'day, but I have n
l. heart to write. Suffice it to say, that tn
d leader, A. M. German, whom they expecte
did not get here, and I had like to have sal
d I am glad of it; but | cannot say that, sine
) it has resulted as it has, for it could not hay
been a whit worse had he been here. The
y swept outright fourteen gentlemen and 81
ladies among whom were some of the mo-
= influential men in this county. And that
q q not all, they made fence-men of the entil
- crowd, as far as l heard.
The people up here have got it in the
u heads, that his Majesty does not pay any
y his troops, except his officers, and their pr
: is created by a tax on the common soldier
Nc please put arguments in my mouth that W
fully satisfy them on this point, for to me
is a poser. Yours, &C.,
~ Capt. Retail, G.. v. A.
To his Excellency GEN. WHOLESALE.
y P. S. Let me know what is to be done i
Gu mediately, if not sooner.