The Plymouth weekly Democrat., 1861-11-07
Colonel (scary's SkirmislA--Thc
Rebel blockade of the Potomac
Mason and Sli(lcll's Successful rs.
capc---An RncredlllOlls A Allministra-

lIOn.
The Washington correspondent of the
Cincinnati Commercial, Zone of its editors,
in late letter thus alludes to the state of
affairs in that city. If Democratic paper
had criticized the Administration in the
same spirit & language it would have been
denounced not only. but probably mobbed
We give the extracts as an illustration Of
"free speech" on the part of the Republi-
can press:
The late successful skirmish near Har.
per's Ferry. in which Col. Geary. of Kan
sas governorship fame. won some appear
ahtly deserved laurels, caused much re.
joic:ng here. since military successes have
become Of late rare events. Very true, the
Importance Of the affair was much overra-
ted, as usual with the first reports. But
it is refreshing to see the profound quies
cence which rel gns in military quarters.
broken by even small sign of life. Pos
sibly the greet gathering OF troops at and
lear Annapolis, may yet mean something.
though it is getting near time they were at
II. Perhaps it may make no difference
now, however, about the delay. since their
expedition has been bruited to the remo-
test parts of Dixiedom, in the two or three
weeks which it has taken to get them so
far as Annapolis. "Oh for an hour Of
Napolean ~ is the cry that meets ones
ton.
The inactivity which. PREVAILS on land
would not appear So annoying. were it ac-
companied bya really vigorous prosecution
OF the war on the water. Our naval expe.
ditions-save Cape Hatteras-have thus
far confined the theater Of their iriumphs
chiefly to the newspapers. whose gifts Of
prophecy have been largely drawn upon to
create the victories which the Navy De.
partment has failed to realize. Even the
capture of fort lIatteras was followed by
reverse which went near to costing us a
regiment, placed by some incredible folly
in the very jaws of destruction.
Truly. it does seem passing strange that
these rebels. who started with less than
dozen small vessels, all of which were
stolen. should now. in less than six
months time. be absolutely sna,ching the
fruits Of victory from our navy Of hun
dred and fifty sail, without firing gun,
while at the same time they have ehfilated
the Potomac with heavy batteries, from
! Aqua Creek 10 Alexandria, and our com
mercial vessels and armed steamers have
. to run the gauntlet of hundred riied can
non. Every evenings Washington Star
contains half column or less of reports,
setting forth how bravely this or that
merchant vessel "run the blockade" Of the
Potomac. and got safe through to her
Washington consignees, in spite of the
rebel batteries which line the Potomac. Is
there no way Of cleaning out these land
pirates and raising this rebel blockade ?
What is AT army of from l5O, 900 to 2OO,-
600 men good for opposite Washington.
when It's communications by water are
nearly cut off. and rebel newspapers boast
that their batteries are so placed that they
can now close the Potomac a, pleasure
What is Mr.. Secretary Wells about to be
reading every day how his little canoes OF
war vessels ars driven back to the Navy
Yard at Washington by the guns Of the
traitors planted within twenty miles oi
where he sleeps
The story goes here. that the Admins
tration 'does not believe that the Nash
vile got off from Charleston with MesSrs
Mason and SlidelI aboard" Truly. this
would seem to be the most inc. eduous
Administration yet heard Of in the .id. o
time Ii "never believed" that South
Carolina would fire upon Major Anderson
that Beauregard could ever capture For
Sumter. that Virginia or Tennessee would
secede, that the rebellion would take owe,
} three month time or $4,000 raw militia I,
, put it down-that Kentucky would become
I the seat Of war. that E-st Tennessee woult
be throttled by the rebels, that Mcdowell.
army could be beaten at Manassas. that Tn,
rebels could ever pet another pound o
) 70 ID or grain of powder when their port,
We're "hermelcally sealed" by the block
ade. 1t "never believed" that this delugs
. Of treason which has devastated the land
would be much Of a shower. 1t "neve,
t believed that the rebels were really il
t earnest in this war or that anything NOR,
was necessary to make loyal citizens on
? of traitors than to swear them and lie
g them 90. 1t never believed that despe
5 rate diseases require severe remedies. no
+. that confscation Of slave property was
measure necessary in time of war with
slsveholding enemy. II does not now be
lieve, If we credit the semi official talk of th
D Capitol, that the two rebel penipotentia