Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1861-09-20

There seems to be but ono general ex-
preston for march upon Washington.
Its comfortable winter quarters and its
vast storehouses of provisions are objects
of no ordinary regard to our army; and
wo are convinced that our troops will
never fight better than when the watch
word is Distinctly passed of " forward to
Washington"
The disappointment at not following
up the victory of the 21st of July is only
more extreme in the camps than it is in
Richmond The lack of means of trans
portation is treated as an inadequate ex-
cuse for not moving an army twenty
miles from its position. The last doubt
less is, that the extent of the enemy's
rout was not known by our Generals I'M
til the Tuesday following. The next
general action will be, ifnot on the works
of Washington, at least in such posi-
ton as to be followed up. This, at least,
is positive, and so much your readers
may take as basis Of their expectations
of the future.
HEALTH OF THE CAMPS.
The health of the camps is very bad
indeed, but out of the number of cases
but very few result fatally. The preva-
lent diseases are measles, mumps, and a
mild form of typhoid fever, not danger
Gus, unless symptoms of pneumonia are
superinduced. The lowness of the coun-
try, tho great fall of rain, and the cor
ruption of the atmosphere about Manas-
sas, by causes which might certainly be
corrected in the extreme filth Of the
camps, have surrounded our brave SOL
diers with almost every circumstance cal
culated to excite malarious diseases. The
water, too. is bad, and its supplies scant
An artesian well is being bored within a
few steps of the railroad station.
The hospital accommodations are pro-
badly not as extensive as the necessities
of the army require, and the transporta-
ton of the sick to tho towns continues
daily. A number of farm houses in the
neighborhood Of the camps are converted
into hospitals. Many of the Sisters Of
Charity are at Manassas as nurses, and
give beautiful and benevolent aspect to
every scene of suffering and sickness ac-
cessiblo to their walk of charity. Their
presence about the camps in their simple
garbs, and with their plain and cheerful
looks, is one Of those spectacles Of the
loyeliness of the sex more pleasing to a
heart of human sympathies than
All the beauty ever throned womanhood."
A RIDE OVER THE MANASSAS BAT
TLE-FlELD.
Early yesterday morning, before break
fast, / took a rapid ride over the famous
battlefield, about six miles from the
Junction. The effect was not appetzing
Believe me, it was terrible. The field Of
battle stretched desolate, but not blank
before the eye The sky above seemed
dead, as it but imperfectly lighted up in
the dark, drizzliug rain the horrors of the
scene of death. Most of the Yankee
dead had been merely covered up in
shallow trenches, and from these broken
mounds black and purified limbs stretch
ed out to tho sight. Here was q head
partially uncovered, with tho hair drop
ping off at the touch of the finger-there
a bunch Of ghastly and purified fingers
clenched over the shallow earth Of It's
grave. The stencil was almost intolera.
BILE, even in the morning air An army
surgeon, who accompanied US in cur visit
to tho field, says that on visiting it but q
day after the battle, he found the corpses
with which it was strewn black as ne
groes.
The field itself shows no signs Of the
scars of war. The grass has grown
again; but the torn and mangled timber
in every direction shows the terrible eff
fccts of the fire. Even in little trees,
scarcely the thickness Of the arm, five or
six shots can be pointed opt In one
part of the field the eye Of the visitor is
attracted by little pine copse all crush
ed and mangled by the fire Of the artille-
ny. Just on its skirt is collection of
small stones, with shaft Of smoothod
oak timber standing upright among them,
and bearing the name of Barlow" 1t
was here where the gallant Georgian met
bis glorious fate. In another part ofthc
field shaft Of cedar marks the spot
where Gen. Bee fell.
ARREST OF ALLEGED TRAITORS.
The Richmond Examiner says John s.
Bowers. George Pitcher and Ludwig
Hest, residing, when "at home" in the
vicinity of Martinsburg, Va, were on the
9th taken 10 that city, under custody, by
way Of the Central railroad, and com
mitted TO prison TO await future inves-
tigation into the charge oftreason against
the Confederate States, upon which they
are beld.
FEDERAL PRISONERS AT RICHMOND.
The Richmond Examiner says:
Notwithstanding the large number Of
Federal prisoners confined in Richmond,
but two have as yet contriyed TO escape,
and since the appointment Of Captain
Gibbos, Of Florida, to the post Of provost
not an escape has been attempt
ed even. Under the rules recently in
stituted by this vigilant officer, all news
papers are denied to the prisoners. The
coffee and sugar with which they have
been heretofore literally supplied, hos
also been stopped, measure rendered
necessary by the scarcity Of those arti-
Giles. The prisoners, il is said, will be
shortly removed into tho interior.
AID FOR NORTH CAROLINA.
The Richmond correspondent Of the
Petersburg Express writes under date Of
tha Gth