Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-10-09

The Aav7.sre OftAe Feasrals.sTsisir srOOPc
fire into Each Other. III

ielsT1lEhH NEWS kUAf0Rs AND LTEs,
The Aavz-sre OFtAe Fedsrals..Thsirf rOOps
fire into Esch Other.
The Baltimore Sun, Of the 30th, in abiding to DE
"advsb.e" u the Federal army upon AuHson's and
NGsOnS hills, says:
The advance Of Gen. smith on Fails Church from
the Chain Bridge was accompanied By events Of he
most deplorsble character. Having passed Van
dernerkin's and Yanderberz's houses on tfeir way
to the former place, and when ABOUT h alf mile
from it, by some uHaccountabls blundsr Col, o -
ens's Irish regiment, OF Philsdelpkiz in Abe dark
ness of the night mistaking, for rebels Cap N3rJs
battery, which was in the advance. mel ny
Col Bakers CalifOrnia regiment. u .xter's Para
delphia Z1uaFes, and Col Freedmzn's cavalry. dr
ed full volley into the troops last mentioned kdl
ing and woHnding q large number.
The California regiment, not knowing from
whom the firing came, returned il with marked
effect. The horses attached to Motifs battery be-
came unmsnageable, and the tongues Of the Gals
sons were broken, owing TO the naFrowness Of the
road
Lieut.. Bryant, having command Of the fiat sec
ton ordered the guns TO be loaded with grape and
canister, and soon had them in range 10 rake the
supposed enemy, when word was sent TO HIM that
he was in the company Of friends.
All was excitement, and . long time elapsed be-
for the actual condition of affairs was ascertsiEed
and confidence re established. Many confused sto
ries prevail as to the parties On whom tie blame
should rest, but Gen. Smith INN Giately ordered
Col Owen's regiment back 70 mp
The Destruction of PriyaGe Properly.
The S.sa's account continues
The conduct Of the Federal troops to-day, While
occupying the grounds recently vacated by tie
rebels, resulted IN the burning Of property TO Il
amount of from thirty to forty thousand dollars,
including houses with their contents, bat which
were unoccupied. no distinction being made as to
the political character Of their owners.
Thav will 1Ouhflaaq uu1org1 iuvPSrI-
CATION by the military authorities, IS they were
strongly condemned by Mcclellan. who went over
to the Virginia side at early hour 20 day. visit
ing the various localities recently vacated hy the
rebels. A private was summsrly shot by hls SUI
perior officer for nsubOrdnation ia refusing 70 per-
form duty.
sinking OF n steamer in the POIOmac
The steamer sunk by cur batteries on the POto-
mac few days ago was the Planet. The Federals
maintained that she was sunk by cOIiding with the
Delaware. The Sun gives the following account
from one of the officers:
The steamer Planet, Capt. Henry Wilson left
Washington on Wednesday, september 18th, at u
NJ, and proceeded down the Potomac river. When
Opposite Occoquan Point she wss fired &C from q
battery erected on said point; twelve shots were
fired at her, five OF which crossed her deck, two
Immediately forward Of the pilot house and three
between the foremass and mainmsst none Of which
took effect. We escaped their shots only to meet
with a wOrse fate, for at u Z. ~, when below
Cedar POiRt, we were run into by the steamer Della
ware, Capt. Cannon, and sunk 10 ten minutes after
the collision. The Planet had q Light on her bow
and another at the masthead, and WAS setting the
side lights when the D.lag came 10 contact wit
US AMI Gu. nearly IN twain. All hands were
Knocked d3~n by the blow, and ems maB, who was
en- the TOP OF the pilot house setting the side light,
was Knocked of and fell distance Of fifteen feet 70
the lower deck, escaped jWeger, with only slraln
ed ankle.
The Delaware cher officers say supposed we
we're laying at anchor. and bore away towards us
to speak TO Us, and endeavored to cross our bow,
and at the same time the Planet endeavOred 70 keep
away from her by putting the helm 70 port, and
blowing the whistle to notify the approaching steam
er that we were under way, and intended 10 go to
the right of her, according TO law. The Delaware
| struck Us when under full Roadway, she having
barely stopped her engine when she struck Us. The
Planet sunk in ten minutes after she struck in
five fathOms water. We had barely time to escape
/ with our lives, and saved nothing, only what We
| had on We remained on board the Delaware all
| night and arrived at Washington city at IL m. on
Thursday, after being fired at our return by the
rebels at OccOquan- They fired several shots at
the Delaware, some Of which crossed her deck, but
none atruck her.
Letter from MF. SeWaTG-Tbe American
Correspondence of The London Times.
| DEPARTXENT OF STATE.
| Warrington, September Il, 1861
Many intelligent and patriotic citissns have ap>
piled to by memorial asking the attention of the
Government TO what they represent as reasonable
| matter contained in letter bearing the date Of
Washington. August 10th, Published in the London
Times and they express their convictions that the
| statements made in that communication untrue,
and that 1t is the design Of the WFitsr TO bring the
credit Of this Government into ssrepute in foreign
countries.
! Is has been habit Of the Government Of the
United States TO take notice Of representations
| however obnoxious, made by the press of foreign
nations or even injurious utserancea made by min>
isters or other agents Of Foreign Powers in the
binary transactions of their Affairs. The Govern
mrnt on the contrary has hitherto recognised as
worthy of its observation only the language and
The action Of the Executive organs Of Foreign
States.
For myself, confess have not read the publ
cations complained Of, and am quite sure that It
has net arrested the attention Of any Of the mem
bers of the Administration, eDgroAaed As We ali nee
sssSriiy with .r1est public duties and cares.
However erroneous the facts the Information OF
the writer may be, they nevertheless atand on his
own individual authority while the whole patriotic
press Of cur country IS free and is interested
TO refute them.
The Government Of the United States depends
not upon the favor or good will Of foreign writers
papers, or even Of foreign nations, but upon the
JUST agPpo.t Of the american people. Its credit
and lis fame seen to re now lOre than ever here
tofore SAT- in their keeping.
Hit be ss.umed that ths obnoxious Psper may
do no haIm here, is It rot sufficient reply that
probably not fifty copies Of the London Tins ever
lind thesF way to our shores. And il 1t be said
again that the obnoxious Communication has been
widely published in the United Stakes, it seems To
me suffi ent rf 1iader that the ctnsure Of mag
unanimous vote in that ought to fall on those
of It's citizens who reproduce the libel, rather
than on the foreigner who wrot. it exclusively for
remote publication.
FINALLY, interference VITA the Pfess eycn in the
case OF IN exiAting instruction, can be justified
only the ground Of public danger. do not see
any lU3h dagger in the pres NJ case Even if one
foreigner does pervert our hospitality TO shelter
himself in writing Injurious publications against US
for foreign press; hundred other foreigners, as
intelligent virtuous, as respectable as be 10 are
daily enrolling themselves in the army of the Uo
ted Ststes to Iefend and maintain the Union as the
chief hope az liberty iH all COUNTRIES and for all
ag>s Could there &c better ILLUSTRATION OF that
great Fundamental truth Of System, that error
Of opinion may safety be tolerated when reason Is
left free to combat it"
WILLIAM Il. SEWARD.
Larga SeizaEe OF Southern Vessels.
The New York Herald of the LIST says: Hiram
Barney Esq retui ned to the custom house yester-
day. lie was bdsIy engaged during the whole day
gitnG Sldit = the large humber OF friends who
called, and clearing up the rOttlde dizziness which
had accumulated during his ABSENCE.
Surveyor Andrews. Assisted by his aids, made q
large seizure OF Southern vessels yesterday.
The schooner DAnvilie Wss seized abe cAme
into port yesterday in ballast from Rio. She is en-
tirely owned in Richmond Va, and left that place