Litchfield enquirer., 1861-11-07


 dent Lincoln letter announcing his determina- tion to avail himself of the provisions of the act Tor retiring officers, recently passed by Congress his physical infrmities rendering it absolute ly necessary that he should seek repose. spe- cial Cabinet meeting was in conseouence con- vened Friday morning, at which it was unanim- lously agreed to place the command of the army in the hands of Gen. McClellan-after which inc President and Cabinet waited upon Gen. Scott in body, and the President read to him the or der retiring him in accordance with his request, and fully recognizing his eminent services to the country. Gen. Scott responded in brief and feeling speech of thanks, and the ceremony con- cluded with the assurance from the President that the Generals Staff should be properly pro- vided for. Gen. Scott left Washington for his home in New York Saturday.
 THE N. Y. Times Washington correspondent the command of the Western Military Depart ment from Gen. Fremont to Gen Hunter, has been sent to the former, and has probably reach ed jim. The order is stated to be absolute and unconditional, and based upon thorough con- viction of Fremont's incapacity as General, and of his profgacy in the expenditure of the public money.
 GEN. Scott left Washington on Saturday after noon, and reached Harrsburgh at 10 o'clock, on his way to New York, where he arrived during the night: Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, large crowd gathered in Harris burgh to greet the veteran, but his arrival in N. Y. being unheralded, very few knew of it until Sunday.
 GEN. Mcclellan, it is announced, will retain the immediate command of the army of the Po- tomac. A sword was presented to him on sa- turday, by Committee of the City Councils of Philadelphia, and during the ceremony he took occasion to express his confidence in the success of the National arms. He is also of the opinion that the war cannot be long though it may be desperate.
 A DISPATCH from Albany states that Arch bishop Hughes and Thurlow Weed, Esq, are about to leave for Europe, probably in the steam ship Africa, which sails Thursday, for the pur pose of making such representations at the Courts of Great Britain and France may counteract any tendency towards recognition of the South ern Confedcracy.
 A dispatch to the Philadelphia Press states that Gen Mcclellan has, through means not made public, informed himself very minutely of the movements of the enemy, the number and of ,1o +l, ,{,, of Manassas Junction, the number of guns they have mounted and the strength of their army. He is guided in his operations by full know ledge of all their important movements.
 ACCORDING to the Lexington O6serrer and Re- porter, many of the sympatlizers with the seces- sion movement in Kentucky, who made their way to the rebel camp at Prestonsburgh but a few weeks since, are now returning to their homes. Twenty-scven from one neighborhood i'll Harrison County returned last week. They give deplorab!e account of the state of things ; in the mountains. The rebels there are utterly destitute of the commonest necessities oflife. l A LITTER from q Staff officer of Gen. Kelley published in the Wheeling InteIiyencer. gives
 
 ney. According to the plan of attack, as devis- el by Gen. Kelley, one column of the National troops was to move from Fatterson's Creek hy way of Frankport and Springfield ui oa the north sido of Homney, while second approached from the west by the Northwest Turnpike. The first column drove everything before it, but the se- cond was checked in its advance. and the larger part of the cnemy's forces effected their escape They lost two guns and thirty baggage wagons but it is not stated that so large number of prisoners was taken as has been reported. A private letter from Grafton states that on Sun day last twenty rebels attacked train of twelve wagons at Jacksonville, Lewis County. They succeeded in capturing the wagons, and all but three of the horses. Capt. Rowands cavalry company had gone in pursuit of the rebels.
 A SUCCESS of the National arms is reported in Kentucky. Gen. Nelson captured Prestonburgh on Saturday morning, the rebels having previous ly withdrawn. Williams, the rebel commander, ia stated to have fallen back about six miles, where he was expected to make stand. Gen. Nelson will probably not keep him standing long.
 
 1 A GENTLEMAN who left New Orleans on Oct. 24, has arrived in Washington, bringing inter- esting intelligence from the Gulf States. He re- ports that the cotton is still on the plantations, whence it cannot be removed for want of rope and bagging. In his opinion, therefore, there was little prospect of the great naval expedition seizing large quantity of that staple, if indeed that were the object in view. In New Orleans, all possible preparations had been made for the reception of the fleet should it attempt landing there. Seven thousand men, fully armed, could be mustered at one point in couple of hours The ram Manassas was again afoat and watching for an opportunity to do mischief She sustained but slight damage from her collision with the Richmond. Silver was at 10 per cent premium in New Orleans and gold at 25. DESPATCH from Fortress Monroe, Nov. 1st, says the Ethan Allen reports that she left the fleet off Cape Hatteras, and that the ferry boats Eagle and Perry had already been separated from the other vessels and the Roanoke, which has just returned from the blockade off Charles ton, brings no intelligence. Her shaft was broken when off Beaufort, and the prevalent heavy weather along the coast compelled her to come up outside the course of the great expedi- tion.