Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-07-10

highly estimated. Had the battery been silenced,
| Gen. Scott in pursuance of his plan, would nave
fortified the railroad taken possession OF Fredercks-
burg therefrom take the Orange and Alexandra
Railroad, cut off the communication between our
Northern army and marched with his hordes direct
ly upon the Capital
Engagement at Matthias Point.
| FREDERICKSBURG, July !, '61.
! Another engagement occurred at Matthias Point on
Thursday afternoon in which nine Of the enemy were
killed and many others wounded. Our troops took
large number of picks. spades and sand-hags, and
left the field unscathed usual From the accounts
| which have reached me- judge the enemy number
ed abou. fifty and landed for the purpose of erect
! ing some kind of defence. The accounts are so va
que that am unwilling to give any statement posi-
| lively, except that of the number killed and the
Quantity of implements found in the deserted boat.
| Captain Ward, of the Freedom, was killed.
| Our citizens were thrown into quite Juror OF ex-
element Yesterday afternoon, about 81 o'clock, by
the arrival at the wharf of the steamer St Nicholas
of the Baltimore and Washington line, and at very
late hour of the night the wharf was crowded with
those dubious about her identity, and curious to
| know the circumstances under which she came.
| For several days past the town has been highly
! excited with curiosity about the secret expedition
which left here Friday morning, and even now the
excitement of the ignorant in regard to it has not
abated in the least The arrival Of this steamer was
the cause very naturally, of alarm to some, while
| it increased the intense curiosity of others. The
The circumstances connected with her transfer from
the Baltimore and Washington line to one Of the
ports Of the Confederate States, may be summed up
| as follows:
The steamer St. Nicholas left the wharf at Balt-
more Thursday, about o'clock P. NJ, having on
board about eighty passengers, and some merchan-
I dize When she reached one of the Maryland capes
the Capt and crew suddenly found themselves in the
hands of some "Rebels," and were necessarily obi
I, ged to surrender in the name of the Confederate
Government Resistance was useless, and the Cap
tain, seeing how futile would be any such attempt
quietly submitted to being deposed.
The gentleman who conducted this affair deserves
great deal of credit and it is only for important
considerations (Which he will understand) that
can forbear calling his name. He will receive the
reward due him from another and more pleasing
source.
The steamer, after undergoing change Of COM
manders and crew, proceeded to Cone river to await
renforcements and to execute the remainder of the
mission for which she was captured; but owing to
some mismanagement or misunderstanding, was
compelled to leave undone the most important part
of the programme. She left Cone river Saturday,
and while proceeding down the Bay to the mouth Of
the Rappahannock, captured two schooners-one
named Margaret, of New York, ladened with coal
from Alexandra to Staten Island; the other, Mary
Pierce of Boston, ladered With 26s tons of ice, for
Washington. The latter proves very valuable &C
question: our stock Of ice is growing very small.
The Virginia captured schooner. the name of which
could not learn laden with coffee, from Rio, for
Baltimore; and, as the neutrality Of Maryland has
been recognized, l presume her cargo will be pur-
chased The Captain of the schooner Margaret is
Virgnian, and should be dealt with as he deserves
The Captain of the schooner Mary Pierce is undoubt
edly Yankee
The report of fighting at Matthias Point has again
reached me, and am inclined to believe that we
shall soon hear of glorious victory on our part
from that place. M.
Depredations of the Enemy.
The Fredericksburg Herald and correspondent
of the Richmond Enquirer furnish the following:
H. The Naval force Of Lincoln providing along the
Potomac is composed Of men in every way worthy
of their Federal masters. They have proved their
vaor in firing at defenceess houses in landing their
soldiers where there was no danger; in theiving
and in destroying the property of unodending gen.
tlemen.
Their war vessels have, within the last week, on
several occasions, fred upon the private house of
Gusts Grymes, in King George throwing shells
with impunty-not careing whether the lives of wo-
men and children were sacrificed thereby They
also fired on building close by Mr. G's residence
used as hospital, and on which hospital flag was
flying; thus setting at defiance the laws of all civil
lization Z
On Tuesday they fred shells into the house of
DR.. Abraham Hooe below Matthias Point, setting it
on FIRE, and razing it to the ground This residence
has been in the Hooe family for many generations.
1t was respected by the enemy during the Revolu-
tion and during the war Of 1912. Although the
British had it in their power to burn it down. vet
they proved their magnanimity by allowing it to
stand unframed. 1t was left for these brethren Of
ours; these members, until a recent period, of a
common government to turn their vandal hands
; upon private property.
The depredations on the Rappahannock River,
near its mouth are of much the same character as
those we have noticed on the Potomac They have
stolen cattle; they have destroyed private prop.
erty; they have endangered the lives Of innocent
, parties. r,,t Il '5''g-
But the wicked shall not always escape and 20
unpublished. So it proved in recent foray, and
,ow that the wrath Of community has been stirred
we nay expect to hear Of like punishment inflicted
on'the Yankee crew who infest Virginia waters.
r. On Monday the 18th ult 40 or 80 Yankees land
. ed from q. S. Steam Tug on Carter's Creek, and
, 4 went up to Mr.. James Gresham's home Capt Kirl
gentleman about sixty-fve years of age, of thai
county, has > company Of volunteers numbering
about go or 70msn one Of his vdettes reported thai
t the enemy Was coming up the river, iRappahan
nocK) ne mad only tniFty OF MS men with him
( the remainder having been stationed at severa
points down the river. The old hero ordered hi,
little army Of thirty to the scene Of action and re
d iquested them to keep cool. He had to march hi,
men considerable distance 80 not to be seen,
e enable him to get his men nesr the landing. HI
managed however, to reach the point he desired be
fore they left He then rushed his men within fort,
yards Of the enemy, and ordered them to fire. whicl
they did with as much cooIness as If they wer
ahOnfinO Qnuirrelo Yhov al
and bomb was thrown from the vessel in the mids