Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-08-04
ARMY ITEMS.

f10N -
LEE on THE CoNscaIPT LAWS there is
= difference of opinion as to the practical
of the Conscript Inv, we publish
following letter, from the Commander IN
Chief:
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT VA
10th July. 1862.
SIR : General Lee directs me to acknowl-
edge the receipt of your letter of the 18th
July, and to, thank you for your congratula-
tons on the success Of our army.
With reference to the construction of the
Conscript Law, by its express terms it SUBJ
iects all persons who may be over the age
of Is years at the time OF any call for troops
made by the President, to. service, and per-
sons attaining that age, at once become sub
ject to military duty.
Although the law contains no express pro-
vision as to the discharge of persons in SER
vice upon their attaining the age of 35 years.
Gen. Lee is of opinion that such persons viii
become entitled to their discharge upon
reaching that age, and their places wll be
supplied by others between Is and So years.
/ am sir, very respectfully,
Your obd't servant,
CHARLES MARSHALL,
Major and A. d. c,
A CAVALRY RECoNNoIssANcE.--On Thurs
day last a cavalry force of forty-6ve me,,,
under the command of Lieutenant Robbins,
of the Ninth Virginia General Stuart's cav
alry,) penetrated into King & Queen, Caro-
line, and a portion of Fairfax counties, on q
reconnaissance. This adventurous band re-
turned last night, bringing with them two
Yankee soldiers and upwards of thirty-ive
Union citizens and negroes as prisoners.
The Union citizens had made themselves OBJ
~noxious to the cause by their conduct, and
hence their arrest.
A quantity of Yankee stores were destroy-
ed and the cavalry returned without the loss
of a man.
On Saturday last o force of eight hundred
of Stuart's cavalry went out to punish the
Beaver Dam depredators and pushed within
!, twelve miles of fredericksburg, retiring as a
large force Of Yankee cavalry, infantry and
artillery were sent against them, tnot being
their purpose to engage them. except in
2 skirmishing.-Eraminer, July 81.
T PANIC AT STRAsBURG.-From a gentleman
recently from Strasburg We learn that there
! occurred a panic among the Yankees at that
/ place on last Wednesday week. A hurricane
sweeping from the South raised a great line
!, of dust in the road leading from Front Royal.
The Yankees, some two thousand in number,
thought the army Of the ubiquitous Stone
wall was certainly upon them. Setting fire
to all their tents and stores they fed in con-
fusion, the greater number of them not halt
ing till they arrived in Winchester. The
amount of property destroyed by them in
it this panic is estimated at between thirty and
forty thousand dollars.--Rich Eraminer.
= A DARING FEAT-At one o'clock on Satur-
day morning last, corporal Cocks, Thomas
Martini William Daniel, Alexander Dimetry,
q and William Williams, members nfthe Prince
II GeoTge cavalry, having procured a boat, left
Of Logsan's Point, on the south side of the
James river, and pulledto a schooner Ir;no
2 ~a-S Vessels and guupoars about half
e. : ihiie rom the shore. As the boat naanaa
Tue vessei a dog on board gave the .I.rn.
oue Inc Ooat was made fast, and Mr. Mar,;I
Sc sprang on deck, followed by the rest &C ia
If pai.y' just as the captain of the scboonau
h maue MS appearance from the cabin NJ
maien informed the captain he had con,a
IS oy oraer OF General Mcclellan, to arrest b;u,
a:o carry MIN to headquarters. The can
1t .al1 was accordingly lowered into the hoat
N Sau : straw bed in the cabin of the scboonsr
ID hasins oeea ripped open and fired our ady.n.
20 auieIs pulled Tor the southern shore .Iu.,
as 'ney were safely landed, the flames hurss
1u' ABOARD the vessel, and, in an instant afr,
Que Que was IN a sheet of flame from stem to starr
for miles. ~ ana It's banks
! The prisoner is ascertainea - b. O..
: john A Jones, of New YORK. H. H. captain
: IN t4e Petersburg jail. His scboonaS III"
d tne Louisa Rives, of one hundred ~ was
slree IONS burden. She was loaded With 10y
: anu provisions and was valued At a;cbt tLo,
'"uo ooi'ars exclusive of her cargo
ESCAPED PRIvATEERs -Mom
9 IOtIlltIC ana Charlac C4-- o.
many months ago on board III. ..apsuieu
y neauregard, escaped from Fort Del.wara tan
n uays ago and reaching this citv on vestond. "a
IRON tnem we have received SOM ;ntosa
It confined at the North ~ prisoners
~ ~ NJ. NdrVCna is confined in a dark dupooon
S u forL Lafay cite. A short tim asevn
49, non MS Cell and was swinminr; -
q as"u' when ne was discovered -"
captured. Gems. Tighlman and Rno,anure re-
We nep' IN solitary confinement Of FL.
5 nnairen, DoScon- Gen. Pettigrev 10 AZ FL.
: I'll 80 An the priyateersmen go
For, nn,a aoia were some months ago sent r
sanS DI.a"Sre where, with some t6rae 49,"
It reta;1eJ IN Touehern prisoners, they are s,;il
r ;n~ ;n@as me buildings at this fortress he
!. many dctachments, in one Of humber,
: heSsrs. Saltmartch and yalsn.ipa were
. caiaped out under guard. Selsntne TeIe
0 n,sn'' tnese two gentlemen crept by the CO..
unc'' ana swimming the Delav.ra 80
O maue their escape. On the south bank of,h,,
n lNer tney landed in a marsh. a MIL In
naIl vide, and in crossing which tb.u ~" on
) sumed the whole of the first dav .f,oyy .bl.-
escape, suffering almost incredible bsn5ah !
: from hunger and exhaustion. At ecu 'nips
they sunk to their knees in the soft s9eP