The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-06-22


If we may credit the correspondents of Northern
papers and the kilograms "revised and corrected,
by the agents of the Federal Government one IF
the most remarkable features of this war is that
IN every instance in which collision has occur
red between the hostile forces, the Confederate
troops are reported to have run away Tins Of
the FIRST attack on the battery at Sewelrs poin,
we have 1t, on the authority of veracous letter
writers from Fortress Monroe that as soon as the f.
ring commenced on the part orthe Federal steamers
the COnfederaes were seen scamnerino off Ir,do
'.'eSe circumstances one would have supposed that
'he hotiiia would have steamed close in to the
Point, and taken possession of the deserted hattie
ries. But mol Surprising as it NAV seem if isne
ertheless undoubtedly true-so far, at least rs the
steamers were concerned-that as the rebels ran
one way, the vessels that are said to have so SIP
nally routed them hauled off and ran away in
an opposite direction. Now this is n
mode Of warfare that we do not exactly nm
derstand. The public, was, however,
| comforted with the assurance that at tho
neA' ATTACK 'he battery should positively be ia
ken. VI course, as the rebels were dispersed. it
was only necessary for the Federal steamers to
go IN and win" But here again mishap oc-
CURED. The fioilla did go in but found the Com
federates unaccountably there again, and when tho
hrlng was resumed they ran away as usual: whilst
the steamers, as usual also, hauled off-for re-
pairs! Still, 1t Is some consolation to know th ot
the Confederaes were routed, even thopo,h ,ho,.
would not stay routed, and that MANY of ,hon,
were undoubtedly Killed, Notwithstanding thew
came 10 lie again and were full of fight the nert
day. AS it was evidently of no usa to oo,t,s1
any longer with opponents who were aI,varo ooo,,
running away and yet were suhseonontIv s,,,ra
at their post, and who, though killed on Erida,,
were as risky as ever on Saturday, the Federal
forces came to the wise conclusion to ha,o no+,,;
more to do with such singular beinos ord - Il.
oe"etl Foint battery severely alone,'
Next IN The order of succession came the FIGHT
a' aqua Greek Here, too, the ATTACKING force
performed wonders. The lower batteries wara g
fenced, and the Confederates were seen os tac,uo
scamperlng of, carrying their dead with then, n
carts. Strange to say, the victorious a.
t'iIa' scorning to take advantage of the defence
less condition of the enemy, at once ralIo,nr
Wlthore" from the scene Of action, and disnatcbod
messenger TO the Navy Department at Uasb
ington-lor additional assistance Two a,.
steamers were accordingly sent down to Aooi,
Ofeek, when, to the manifest SUNRISE Of
the recent victors, the Confederates like Mor.;o,
IoNsoN, were found to have "come bacl, aga;,,,
II they ever went away-and the batteries tbo,
had been silenced began to prove to the asss;ants
mat the damage which had been done to tbe,,
had rendered them more effective than o,,or T.,
the two engagements that ensued we arc ors,,o,,,
assured that the rebels, on those occasions v,ero
oauiy beaten, and finally took to their
heels; that all the batteries We're rendered useess
except one gun, which, as it occupied the bei,.bts
ana was only serviceable in COMMANDING tho ro;r
way terminus it was not deemed advisable 70 die
taro. so the Federal forces, perfectly satisfied
with the glory they had won, and deem;p,, -
hardiy worth while to improve upon such laures
Withdrew out of range of the one gun on the
heights and retired with the fruits of v;cor,, :,
tie shape OF huge hole in the side of the Po,roee
land point.
Then followed the Pig Point affair. # was
limited at Fortress Monroe that Confederate lut-
terry mad been erected somewhere in the neighbour
mood OF Fig Point Brigadier- General BrrrEp
was curious to know something about it. His
ofhcers also were curious. CAPTAIN F,rNc, If
the harriet Lane, was curious likewise; so he puf
on steam and set sail to hunt the battery nm
lie found it. He fired upon it, and the ConGed-
erates-as matter of course, for what
better could be expected of them?-ssscattered
IN all directions" Here again comes the marvel
In spite OF all this scattering, ball from the bat
tery came crashing through and throuph the
harriet Lane, killing and wounding some halea-
dozen OF the crew. So the crippled steamer was
put about and made her way, as best she could,
BACK to Fortress Monroe. Captain FAUNcE was
Sa''shed. Let US hope that Brigadier General
BUTLER was satisfied also. After this came the
disaster at Great Bethel General BUr1nR bein, do
sirous OF exchanging the sea air of Old Point
oouor' for the softer breezes of the interior de-
termlned, one evening, to take his supper. or
was it?-at Yorktown As
there was trif1ing obstruction to his doino this
IN the shape OF battery at Great Bethel he ner
emptorly ordered it to be brushed away. Five
thousand men, partly from Hampton and partly
from Newport Newspoint, were ACCORDINGLY nusbed
forward to ''abate the nuisance" OF the misbaps
'nat occurred by The way we forbear to speak Itis
sufficient to know that the troops became Familiarity
acquainted with the position of the battery. and
that at one tme-if the chroniclers are TO be he
lieved-they almost took it, The Confaderates
did not exactly run from Bethel; but. we are told
they were about to do so, when the Federal forces
saved them the trouble by retreatnc themselves.
1t is needless to say that General BUTLER did not
sup at Yorktown. The Vienna escapade is
sui more recent. Here was another bat
terry, unmasked. Here also, We are as
sured that the Confederates, after killing
and woundng a considerable number of the Ohio
troops retreated precptately in the, direction of
Fairfax Courthouse. Is it not wonderful what q
genius these people have for running? Is it not
still more remarkable what a large amount of
mischlef they do before they run away, or whilst
tney are IN the act of running? Their vitality
too' Is quite as surprising as their racing quail
ties, or their ability TO inflict serious damaoe IF
they are killed one day, they re-appear the next
II 'hey are routed and dispersed, they somehow or
other manage to retain the positions they have nm
dertaken to defend. Sewelps Point, AQUA Creek
rig Polnt Great Bethel, Vienna. all these v.rio,s
posts, were to have been taken by the Fedora,
roops-some of them long since-yet the Conced-
crates still hold them saucily as ever. and an.
pear likely TO hold them just as long as their ra-
'eiuon may be found necessary to the plan of the
campaign. This being the case, we should he oIad
10 nave an answer to the following ouestion-Iftbo
FEDERAL troops are not only unable to make head
nat are actually repulsed with serious loss in their
enc0unters with foe that is always reported 10
running away" what hope can they have os
gaining @yictory over the same enemy when he
concludes 10 make a stand and fight it out?
officiAh REPORT tT THE yorE ON THE RArrF1c..
TON OF THE ORDINANCE On SECESSION IN WARS,
Governor Letcher has issued proclamo,;on
claiming the aggregate vote os the State upon The
Ordinance of Secession. By the ~etprns rooa;ras
from nearly all the counties, with tb, excsnt;on of
those in Northwestern Virginia, it appears that
the aggregate vote was as follows: =