, 1861-12-30


dieTs-Hindneial Ct74osities Kotni-Ine II
lfged Progress of ke Union Ga,tSe-,MT. Sen
a'as INSTRUCTIONS to M':: adams on The Sza
tery Question.
lFrom our own Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Dec. Is, 1861.
have learned some additional fncts con.
cernfng the Late expedition to Acconac and
Northampton counties, on the eastern shore
Of Firg1nla, Which 60 far to illustrate tho
character Of the rebellion, and the means nee
essafy to put it down, as well as to expose the
insane policy hitherto employed The Off
GERS and soldiers with whom have conyersed;
forming part Of the expedition to the eastern
shore, commanded By Brig. Gen. Lockwood,
concur In saying that if Congress should insti-
tute an inquiry as to how many ttarns were
laid down. by the rebels in Northampton.
a"a 'e'tdt disposition had 6eeu made Of them,
it would be learned that not u,usket
had been delivered up, not loyal white
man had been found, and not a single
thing had been brought back as trophy Of
the expedition, except few cannon which
Tie heightened rebels buried in the woods, and
mhich the slaues potnte7 out to our Officers. 80
much for Gen. Dix's proclamation and the
Presidents premature proclamation upon it.
Il the inquiry should be pursued 4 little far
ther, 1t would be found that Gen. Lockwood
9eToted himself chiefly to eatcAing, r1oea1rG
and returning runaway negrocs! The ignoblc
task Of pursuing these poor wrctches, the
only loyal persons in the country, and giving
them forty 1ashes apiece, prior to returning
them to their rebel masters, was put upon our
unwilling soldiers. Do bayonets think? I
tell the 1athers and brothers Of the 4th Wis
consin and 9th Michigan regiments, that the
blood Of those brave boys never boiled half SO
ferce1y against JEFF. Davis as it did against
their Own pro-slayery commander. Return
ing from Pungoteague, the principal port on
that side Of the Chesapeake, the Wisconsin
and Michigan regiments were delayed long
time for want Of transportation. The New
York 5th had been taken back to Baltimore
before the others, and, as it appeared, had
carried away half a dozen contrabands.n
While our soldiers we're waiting in vain for O
boat to carry them away from the abomination
Of desolation which they found on the PENN
sula, down came o small steamer from Balti.
more with the half dozen "contrabauas,'' &C.
curely manacled, to be handed over to
their masters, who were, and still are, as
b1oated and blind with venom against their
benefactors as Eo many adders in dog-lays.
The officers ut Pungoteaguc impressed this
steamer into the service Of carrying their regi-
ments back-otherwisc they might have re-
manned there till this time There was plen-
ty Of Transportation to be had for these
Six loyal blacks, but an awful scarcity Of boats
to carry our soldiers to Baltimore over the
same route.
4 brief history Of this expedition, SO fraueht
with advantage to the Union cause, may not
prove uninteresting. It consisted Of the 18th
Wisconsin, one-half Of the 9th Michigan, one
half Of the 5th New York, one-half Of the 21st
Indiana, the I'd Delaware and Purnells Mary
land Legion. The entire force WAS 400
strong, but it was commonly remarked in
Baltimore that the Maryland and Delaware
troops we're sent down rather to conciliate
than to conquer, and that thus the ex-
peditlon was only $500 strong for fighting
purposes. The whole we're commanded br
Brigadier General Lockwood, Of Delaware.
West Pointer, and for many years an instruc-
tor IN the Naval Academy at annapolis, Ar
rived IN Accomac county, the expedition had
very little difficulty in Gowning down all signs
Of rebellion. Aecomac has only 4 sparse
slave population, and it gave 600 votes against
the secession ordinance. In NORTHAMPTON,
however, there was u rebel organization Of
3,500 men, with ten pieces Of artillery. 4
good many years ago the people Of
the eastern shore had declared war
against the New York oystermcn,
and these cannon we're procured
for that sanguinary emergency. They were
tolcrably well supplied with ammunition By
reason Of the same accident. When our sol
dlers arrived at the border Of NORTHAMPTON
county they learned that all the bridges had
been destroyed, the piers at the various land
tngs burned, the water let out Of the dams,
the country Hooded, and the only road On
which an army could move, obstructed with
fallen timber and covered With Notifications
ten miles apart, on which the cannon were
mounted. But rs our forces. moved down to-
wards the first Of these forts, rumor flew
ahead Of them and nagnified their numbers
to fully 1900 men! The garrison in fort
No. incontinently fed without firing shot,
carrying their cannon with them, which they
buried in the woods. News Of the abandon.
ment Of fort No. few like wildfrc through
all the others, and they were successfully de-
serted by their vaunting defenders. When
our troops marched down tue peninsula
they found them empty, swept and gar
nishcd- Slaves began to come into tho camp,
telling our officers where the rebel cannon
were secreted, and Gen. Lockwood began to
fog them and send them back to their rebel
masters. Our boys captured all the rebel cay
airy horses, and Gen. Lockwood made them
give them back, with one OF two exceptions
where there we're no claimants-the owners
having escaped across the bay and Joined
Beaurcgards army. Some Of the officers pro-
posed to make those who received back their
horses take the oath Of allegiance, but this
they stubbornly refused to do, and Gen. Lock
wood gave up the horses without insisting on
the oath. Arrived at Drummondtown-G Cen
eral Lockwood made Il speech to the
inhabitants, saying that he was an
owner Of slaves, as Eas his father before
him; that he had come among thcm Uhc reb-
els) to protect them in all their 'srishts II
that If their negroes ran away he would catch
them and return them, and he would recon-
mend whipping for the first offence and Shoot
ing for the second. As soon as the tenor Of
this speech became known in our caups. q
mutlny broke out, which was only quoted BY
the strenuous efforts Of the regimental Off
GERS, and notwithstanding their cxertions to
pacify the excited aud indignant soldiers, Gen.
Lockwood was in6ultcd by groans and Kisses
the ne1ttime he Was seen in the camp Of the
9Th Michigan. Meanwhile the rebels had hid
denthelrazn's and returned home, to look after
negroes. Having got their fugacious proper
II, they commenced with one accord to snecr
at the expedition and the Government which
set it on foot, and to insinuatc to the soldiers
that they were being made pack-horses, and
food for powder, to no earthly purpose; that
they, and their rulers and generals, were s
laughing stock to sensible men the world over,
for their poltroon attempt 10 carry the spirit
Of peace into war. So general and so unccas-
ing ~as this taunt, and so obviously just, that
our soldiers would have given them aefew il
lustrations Of rel war, If they had not been
kept under rigid peace discipline by their COM
nander. Still, one or two good results were
obtained bY the exneHit{nn IT. waa IN al,