New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1862-02-07

Letter from Virginia.


Letter from Virginia.
Special 10 The New Orleans Crescent s
ts8s 5E & E3 RtcaxoSp, Jannsry 81. 1884,
The destruction 81 thirty or forty Of Burnslde'i
fleet does not compensate the loss Of zollicofer
and the gross insult Of the London Times to Masor
| and Slidell. The motive which induced this insult
Is not clear. If the Times intended to forestalf an
ovation. it overshot its mark; if it intended to ex
cite sympathy for our Ministers, 1t went the right
| way to work. We await with much Impotence
the result 81 the arrival Of Masonaand Slidel in
England and France. Their career hitherto has
been full Of such surprising turns of fortune and
misfortune that we may confidently expect the
most curious developments hereafter.
q military bill, which contemplates q system of
universal enlistment, has passed Congress, and is
now alaw Of the land. Il leave to you the discus.
sion of its various features, good and bad. Vir-
gina is much bothered about her quota. Owing, it
Is said, to the number of captains and colonies in
the It is easy TO tell whether bill en-
anated from this officer or that-for the Colonel
takes care of himself to the neglect of captains,
and the captain in turn does the same thing.
Hence, am told. occurs delay in reorganizng
the army Of Virginia which, fear, will bring dis.
Henceforth the army will be apermanent power.
Unless the North breaks up into many fragments,
we shall be compelled to maintain large stand
ing army. How shall y, it be organized q how kept
up? how wielded2 These are grave questions. If
NE trust to the President, liberty is in danger. If
to Congress, the danger is much the same, for,
under the present system Of elections Congress is
tue obsequious tool Of the President If the States
are to control their several quotas there danger
that the army will be divided by State jealousies
and TO lack that solidity which makes an army
effective. Again, the army will be subject to q
sort Of Amphyctionc council if the States rule It,
may well happen that, in case Of future secessions
the power controlling the army may acknowledge
the right OF secession in the frankest manner but
base o quarrel on some bubble, and use the army
to adjust that quarrel by gatng the seeding
State. Thus the subject is beset with many diff
scnlties.s Az to the mode OF raising the men, +
know OF nothing more certain than modification
of the Prussian system requiring every man to
the purchaser of acceptable substitutes. In this way
the tax ofthe army will be greatly lessened, while
its main strength will consist, as it ought Of native
born citizens. = SE4.sTg Il: -
Il Knoxville papers extenuate as much as possible
the defeat which resulted in the death Of zoli
Golfer. by saying the attack was made after a
council of war had been held, but the Journals in
Nashville hint plainly at gross mismanag in
not sending up the reserve. 1T is to be hoped this
matter will undergo the closest investigation, and
bring to condgn punishment the guilty party,
whoever he may be. The habits and past history
Of the officers should be rigdly looked into.
here, and promised some facts in regard to this
subject. Space does not permit me to dwell on
many points which show what divine acci-
dent it was that prompted the founders of Rich.
mond to locate it just where it stands, and just
where boundless supply Of water and Of fnel fur
nish all the requirements of great city,. OF the /
magnificent water supplied BY the James River, I
need not SPEAK All The machinery ofa dozen
Chesterfield and Goochland contain, according to |
Professor Rogers, who surveyed them carefully by |
order Of the State, enough coal to last the whole
world for g period o. 500 years The coal in these
basins is of different degrees Of hardness and there
~ adapted to nearly al domestic purposes and
the bf the arts. Add to the advantages already
enumerated, the fact that the river below the falls
y naYgable for ocean steamships of large SIZE and
i will be seen that Richmond has q combination
of natural advantages which no other city on this
continent possesses. Imagine the ceal mines OF
Interior Pennsylvania and the water power of Nj
lgara brought together at Philadelphia, and you'll
lave correct and not at all oyersstimated idea OF
What Richmond is and what it is destined to be.
teannot fail to become one of the greatest COM
nereIal and manufacturing cities in the whole
lobe. When peace is declared, as it will be some
ime next DeceInher--a armistce will occur be;
ore that-Rfcnmond will begin career of ma.
erialprosperity which will turn the heads of all
IS citizens and end in the corruption of its society
nee so famous for. it's elegance and refinement,
.ut already seriously vitiated by the war and bye
he presence of the Confederate Government.
An incident has been related to me, which is so
reditable to the good sense and good heart of the
resident, that l,must repeat it here. When the
var broke out there was at the University of Yir-
snia youth, whose father lived in Washington
lily, and il now, a Colonel in the Yankee army.
2 former years, he had been intimate in Senator
AVIS family and, but for his tathers opposition,
yonld have been adopted therein ell his sym !
athies were with the South. He joined the com.
any of students who rushed at the first call Of
irginia3 to the capture Of Harper's Ferry. In
recess OF Tune, the company of students was dis
and hnro hor,oy I
ing OF the hard fortune de Ia gue1Te. At a loss
hat to do, he came to this city, unknown and al c
Gost penniless. High spirited and sensitive, he h
1T delleaey IN making known his situation to his f
sning to be at the Fair Grounds on some public .
,casion, the presentation Of a regmental flag or il
msthing Ct that sort, he was ecognizsd By Mrs.
avis a'yI IN her carriage, who exclaimed aloud,
me, and she kissed him aheetionately before The
hole multitude, not little to his embarrassment,
ID took him home with her. The President :
'eeted him as cordially as his wife had done, the
me immediate employment in the army. .sNo,',sI +
ID the President, /" you are too young. We must j
i GRIND the seed corn. Complete your studies
St, and , then enter the army if you Will Ever
'esidents family, and quite on the footing of al
H. That there is something loYeable in this yontb's
aracter is proved by the fact that worthy o
Etnglshman, who, for many years has been
lPtSyeu III TIE AnAlolncalt department OF the
liyersity, has twice come all the way from Char 4
.tesyille to visit hin, and has at length taken m
abode in this city, in order to be near the be-
7ed boya He says be I. must see Tom.paaNot
1g ago Tom got letter from his father, the 4
'nkee Colonel, requesting him to come home, q
% declined, and sent his father word thathe ia. n
lded to share the fortunes Of the South, for weal
woe. Heiiked the people Of the South they Il
re warmhearted, truthful, sincere, generous.
ntiemanly, and he intended to stand BY them :
,,ough thick and thin Evidently Tom is noble
low, and deserves to have been born under q
~ i s.ai -. sz4 ,MALou. i
&sSs Return of ThanAs. s4,5ss
HEADorARTREs 81 REGlaEsr Ia ToL :
& III 3Esze Camp Benjamin, Arkansas, jan 70, 1862
It g meeting Of the commissioned officers Of the