The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-12-25

he oEeers-Tae Federal FlotlIa on The Potomac
OR Troops Anrions 10 Crosse oser into diary
land, Sc. s
fooRsEsreKDsHcH OF THE RICHMOND DIsfAIoH.
CAxp FaKaoH,
Transport, Dec. 2lst, 1861 !
I occasionally get glimpse at The c.lum MS
OF your paper and there find the army very
we'll represented in the way of correspondence
with the exception Of this portion at Evans.
port, which. of all others at this time, is :
titled TO public notice, or rather, OF which the
public are entitled to information--this being
the only point on the Potomac at which
there Is likely to be an engagement this win
ter.
The division Of the army Of which our b-i-
gade is a part, Is under the command OF Maj
Gen. Holmes, and reaches from the OccOQu2n
TO the RanpAhannock river, his headQ uartera
being at Fredericksburg. 1t Is well organ
lied and efficient division, composing as {,
does, brigades which are in a fine stat -
health, and regiments which distinguished
themselves on the field at Manassas.
The brigade immediately contiguous t o the
batteries, and from which they are manned,
is under commend of Gen. French, who
served has time, and made considerable rep
utaton, In the old Army. He has planta-
ton In Mississippi, and at the time he was
rendered the position of Brigadier-General
was acting Chief of Ordinances for that Stat e.
His kindness and indomitable energy pndear
L nAuA " tlic Ne AZ " dEQ AttSQS Oh HIS
The river defences are under his control, and
the direct charge and command OF the FORTH
cations are under an efficient and much res
pected commander OF The Federal Navy,
Capt. Chatard, who when we raised the cry
of liberty" resigned his post, Left his family
| in Baltimore, and joined us. He finds an in
dispensable aid in the energetic and inimita-
BILE Lient. MaCorkle, well known AS an at
| tache of the Navy-Yard at Washington, d.
C-Doomed city.
On Gene, al french's staff is also an officer
| in the old Army, West Pointer. Capt. q. T..
Collins who with Lieut.. g. Halle, OF bis
sissippi, form the staff.
The hospitals Of the brigade are under DR..
Herndon, who some weeks since deserted
from the Federal Army, and joined us, Civ
ing much valuable information concerning
the enemy.
In one Of the regiments of the brigade is
Capt. N. w. Cluskey, who is q candidate for
Clerk Of the House. II he Is as popular will
the M. Us" as he IL With the boys OF his
regiment, you may soon lock for him in your
sanctum; he being fellow scribe. will cer-
taiuly rather associate with you than with
the Pharisees who tnfest your city and busy
themselves much as to the best plan to rob
soldiery.
We are coRtin ually looking for the floti1la
whi2 III is expected TO come up and attack cur
forts, and therefore looking hourly for fight,
which OF course keeps Us in good spirits. -
There is u probability OF our having an en-
gagement independent OF the renowned no.
tiila, as there are in sight of our batteries at
nearly all hours about sixteen OF those small
black tugs and steamers that prowl along our
coasts and in the Potomac, for the purpose OF
stealing negroes, or surprising and driving
from their dwellings at midnight the fami-
lies who live within gun shot from them on
rious for their cowardly and dastardly ex-
ploits. Not unfrequently are we awsked
from our slumbers at dawn OF day by the roar
of cannon from some marauding tug, and the
.x.t 1y1 41,a y
pickets were fred upon. and that the redoubt-
abba fleet Of the Potomac had stormed some
solitary, peaceful doInicil, driving the in
mates-helpless fenlales--into the hill tops
fer safety.
Shame on such mode Of warfare. Where Is
the heart imbued with true American chiyalry
that does not burn with tndigna ton at the
imprisonment, base treatment, and indigni-
ties which the women or our country are
subjeeced TO by the inhuman, puritanical
wretches who hang Oh to the tattered rem :
nants of the once proud, but now base, des
potic GoyernmentY
Such malicious, cold bio oded deeds as the
"dark providers OF the Potomac are guilty
of might adorn the historic pages Of barba-
rian warfare. and they may even meet with
| laudations from the political sehemers al
Washington as necessary to whet the appe-
tites Of the Northern soldiery for Southern
blood, the cause in which they are engaged
not being a sufficient stimulus. If this be
the motive, which no doubt 1T IL, we may
soon look for more depredations ON the coast
| in order to keep alive the large army thai
| a. w confronts us.
N Maryland, opposite us. there are abou
| 90 600 troops under the commands Of Gems
Hooker and Sickles. having with them three
artillery companies. On calm m oruings we
can converse distinctly with their pickets
and at almost all hours the breeze carries
their notes Of martial music to our ears
How we do wish it was the policy of the
Government to enter Maryland and loose the
shackles from the thousands who there stand
ready to JOIN our standard. Why do you
not advocate the policy? We have men and
about three thousand men across at Ma.
| thias's, or some other point they could easily
advance, and meet with accessions all the
way to Baltimore.
The enemy have a battery opposite ours.
and for the last forty days our men have been
under Its fire. Some days they throw AZ
many as eighty or ninety projectiles. We
occasionally LEI hy shot or two at them
from our large guns; bus believe our OH
GERS do not regard them as of much conse-
quence and have ceased to notice them We
very frequently, however, have some heavy
firing from our batteries at tugs and schoon-
ers that try to run the blockade. Last night
tug tried to pass In the fog, but we fred
upon her from the sound aud fash OF her
gums and drove her back. To-day we gave
schooner running down three or four
sslvos. She was In the farther channel, and
the course and effect OF the shots showed
that our gunners were becoming quite prod
There hes been great deal of grumbline
OF those little schooners pass unhurt =
You will hear men, who never saw large
gun before, say that our guns are not we'll
manned, Re. IT IL true, We have not many
old, experienced gunners, md 1T first some
nf our boys did Wild firing. but 1t was at q
class Of boats in the farther channel--whtch
we would not have noticed il It were not for
giving the gunneu practtee--saen - oyster