Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-06-27


tirely deserted but that no serious damage had
been done to the property Of inhabitants other
than that done by necessity. On his return he
caught four negroes pillaging deserted house,
and placed them under arrest for while, but
on their promising to inform their master of it,
he allowed them to CO. These negroes piage
and steal and then shrewdly place the crime on
the soldiers. This is done to very great ex-
tent, and the reputation OF our troops suffers
from it. Any more negroes caught in the act
of pillaging will instantly be shot down, and a
stop put to this kind of work.
The "dash" of Lieut., Tompkns upon Fair
fax Court House was a very unfortunate affair
for the plans of Scott, however well it served
to shew off the gallantry Of the dragons. 1t
shows in striking manner the importance of
strict adherence to ORDERS and of neither ex-
cedng nor disobeying them The Washington
correspondent of the New York journal Of
Commerce remarks as follows upon this affair."
His statements are borne out by the testimony
of other writers:
"You can hardly imagine. from all that has
appeared in those Northern presses which have
undertaken to conduct the war, what severe
criticisms have been made here, i'll high military
quarters upon all the grand exploits which have
been heralded by the northern press. What
passes with you, therefore, as grand and glori-
Gus coup de main, is here known to have in
volved us in complication of new and unlocked
for difficulties. Lieut.. Tompkins' unauthorized
dash into the village of Fairfax Court House,
with Al men is of this order. First, he bafiled
Gen. McDowel's design, which was to capture,
the next night, the whole Confederate force at
the Court Houses and second, he gave an alarm
that spread through the valley of Virginia and
down to Richmond, and brought twenty thou
sand men and heavy and numerous batteries
into our very neighborhood. The dash into
Fairfax Court House prevented General Scott's
proposed seizure of the railroads diverging from
the Junction at distance of few miles from
the same. He could not risk his small force,
when divided, against full batteries and adj
vancing armies. See now TO what expense and
effort he is driven by the gaantry of Lieut..
Tompkns. Thrown on the defensive he aban-
dons the design of attacking the strong lines of
the enemy, and is extending his own line of
defense from Georgetown up the Potomac, on
both banks. He has thus to withdraw troops
from the city, though they are needed here"
THE CHARGE AND THE VIcroRY.-The cor
respondent of the Cincinnati Commercial, writ
ing from Grafton, says of Col. Ianders charge
at the battle of Philppa, after he had placed
the artillery and directed the fire on the rebel
camp:
at was at this iuncture that Col. Lander per-
formed an exploit that deserves to rank with
Putnam's ride down the stone steps. The hill
on which the artillery was planted is both high
and steep, and it would be dangerous for an in
experienced rider to walk a horse down the
al.
rushing for the bridge, closely followed by the
Ohio 18th, (Col. Steedman,) and supposing the
passage of the bridge would be disputed, he
grasped L revolver in each hand, plunged spurs
in;o the flanks of his horse, and dashed down
the hill, over fences, and stumps, and stones,
and dead timber, through a wheat field to the
pike, and swept past the column like the wind,
looking (as one who saw him says more like a
demon than Il man. Col. Steedman, in the ex-
citement of the moment, had advanced some
800 yards ahead of his command as Lander
passed. Go back. Col. Steedman go back to
your column said he, 'or you will be cut off ?
forgetting that he was exposed to the same dan
ger.
BY this time Col. Kelley had arrived and at
tackled the rear of the rebels. Col Lander now
rode alone across the town to join Kelley, but
just after he had passed Kelley a rebel brought
]
der at once charged among the enemy and
chased the rebel into an angle of fence, where
he guarded him until the infantry came up. An
unsuccessful charge was made by few of the
rebels to rescue the prisoner. On kelley's men
arriving they were determined to hayonet the
prisoner, but were prevented by Col. Lander,
against their urgent demonstrations The quar-
termaster of the Virginia regiment took charge
Of him, becoming responsible for his safety
Col. Lander maintained that the man had thrown
down his arms and Yielded himself to him as a
prisoner of war; that if he had killed Kelley he
would have done it in actual fight and after our
troops had commenced the engagement, and
that he should protect him with his life."
How HARvEY's TREASON WAS DISCOVERED
The Washington correspondent of the Phila-
delphia Inquirer writes;
sit is now fully ascertained how the treachery
of Harvey was discovered. The facts were dis
covered as follows: An operator in the telc-
graph office at Washington, Immediately upor
hearing Of Harveys appointment said to friend
incidentally, Can it be possible, when to my
very knowledge he has been in correspondence
with traitorsP
This remark was repeated in confidence tc
one and another, and finally reached the ears oI
one or two persons in authority. The operator
was sent for, and after considerable persuasion
to induce him to explain his remark, stated that
it would be breach of telegraphic rules and
regulations to divulge any correspondence that
might have passed through the office, but init
mated that if the office was searched, as the
government had an undoubted right to do, i
would be ascertained that Mr. Harvey was no
the most honest man in the world.
An order was Immediately issued to institute
the search for the original dispatches containin;
the important evidence of Harvey's treachery
and to prevent the act from appearing invidious
an order was issued to inspect all the diSpatche
that were at the telegraphic Offices at Washing
ton and other cities north. The Harvey dis
patches were found, and were discovered to b.
sufficiently raitorous to induce the recall of tn
newly appointed minister; but thus far, | an
informed, the order for his recall has not beel
sent out The operator subsequently resigned
and has since been appointed to a remunerativ
position in the Navy Yard in this city,"
THE CAPTURED PRIvATEERs-A Threat o
, Vengeance-The Charleston Mercury grow
furious over the thought that the crew of tn
priyateer Savannah are in danger of the pirate
, doom, and declars;-
) "Let one of these men perish, and we ool
l to the authorities at Richmond for immediat
! and bloody retrbution. We look to them, an,
we shall expect them to settle q strict accoun
of blood for blood.
5 If the hair of the head of single man c
this crew is injured, South Carolina will deman
that tho outrnop hp atonpl 1nr-a,, aVa for n