Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-09-17
REPORTS FROM THE WAR.
PITCHING INTO nrAuREeARp.

A letter in the Savannah (Ga.) News, dated
Aug. 9th, says 1.-The chief topic of CONVEX
sation here is the inactivity OF the army.
Much criticism has been passed upon Gen.
Beauregard, and those who are believed to
direct the movements of the army, more par
ticuIarly respecting his failure to occupy or
destroy Alexandria and Washington CITY.
Congress called for information on this point,
and the President referred the inquiry to Gen
Beauregard, who, in his answer, placed the
blame where it really belonged He had been
for weeks almost beseeching the war depart
ment to supply HIM with the material needful
to carry on the war-men, ammunition, pro-
visions, wagons but the quartermaster' and
commissarat departments being in incompe.
tent hands, the day OF battle came and
found our generals without the means
OF carrying the army forward. Quite
an acrimonious debate sprung up in the
house upon the reading of this answer, in
which Messrs. Miles and Chestnut Of South
Carolina, who had been Oh the staff of Gen.
Beauregard at Manassas, and had supported
him in most gallant manner during that
eventiul day, found it necessary to vindicate
their great chief from the aspersions which
certain members were disposed to throw out
against his military reputation. Since the Dist
July many circumstances have combined to
keep our troops in Il stationary position. Rain
has fallen in great quantities and almost i'll
| cessantly, rendering the roads impossible Tor
| heavy wagon transportation and the marching
of large bodies of troops, and there has been
great deal OF sickness among our soldiers
| probably 20 per cent are at this time unfit Tor
| duty. Our generals, however, have been
strengthened by new accessions almost every
day, and the railroads continue to transport
regiment after regiment"
ONE OF THE TRAITORS.
1t has been observed, since the war began,
been communicated 10 rebels, from time to
time in some mysterious way. Nobody could
tell how it was done. But, at last the traitor
has been discovered, but the villain was allow
ed to escape to Richmond. A Washington
letter in the New York Evening Post, dated
Sept. 10, has the following in regard to this
fellow 1.-THE traitor Byrd, who has recently
fled TO Richmond. and, according to southern
accounts, has given to Jeffei sOn Davis full
account OF matters and things at Washington,
singular enough, is a nOrtherner, and was an
pointed by the present administration. He
was appointed by Mr.. Cameron at the sugges
ton of Assistant Secretary Scott, was an old
friend of Scotrs, and till within few weeks
was trusted by the head of the department. 1t
is rumored that he was dismissed because he
was suspected OF furnishing the rebels with
important information concerning the then
future operations of the army. Angry at his
dismissal, he has wreaked his vengeance upon
the government by turning traitor and reveal
| ing such of its secrets as he possessed to the
| leaders of the rebels a few weeks ago Gen
| Mcclellan was upon the point of executing a
| movement of minor importance upon detach.
ment OF the rebels who were quite near our
| lines To his great astonshment he discov-
cred that some one had informed the rebels
of the intended movement for they fed pre-
cipltately to Fairfax Court House, as was
published at that time in the papers. Just
| after, ridiculous rumors of the arrest of Mr.
| Scott, the assistant secretary, were current
| upon our streets, the rumors growing out of
| the known fact that some one in the war de-
| partment was suspected. 1t is now stated that
Byrd was the guilty man, and that Mayor
Berret was also mixed up in the affair, but
the last part of the story cannot be true if
the government has offered to release the
mayor ON condition OF his taking the oath
OF allegiance"