The New York herald., 1862-01-04
NEWS FROM WASHINGTON.

speedy recovery.
General Marcy is also improving fast.
THE CHARGES AGAINST GENERAL BENHAN.
1t is not true as stated by the i'll informed correspon-
dents from this city, that the charges Of having allowed
General Floyd to escape preferred by General Rosecrans
against General Denham were dismissed by General Nc
Celan lie received and examined them. They
are not dismissed at all. The trial Of them suspended
merely till the Witnesses late OF the army Of Western
Virginia. now serving in the campaign in Kentucky, can
attend, and martial be convened without incon.
veniencs 10 the service General Benham has filed an
answer to the charges briefly denying them, and they
stand for trial the proper time The prosecution
and the defence have summoned forty officers rank
ing from generals TO heutenants Witnesses That
number could not at present be spared from duty The
charges involve the conduct of General Benham as to the
pursuit Of General Floyd and the Of the escape Of
the latter with his army General Benham has denied
the truth OF the charges and asked for court martial
THE TROOPS AND THE COLD WEATHER.
Last night was the coolest yet experienced by our
troops but they stood 1t like heroes especially the New
England men, who have been feastng the long spe
Of extraordinary fine weather have been enjoying for
weeks past Tonight we had light fall of snow and
hail. If could have little Of such weather for week
come could better the endurance Of the
armies to stand out in the cold.
THE SANITARY CONDITION OF THE ARMY.
Sensation newspapers not being enterprising enough
TO procure news, have commenced the work Of publish
ing disease paragraphs about this city which entirely
void of truth. Typhoid fever is endemic disease Of
cold climatss, and the form of fever in
New England. 1t rarely cccurs in malarial regions
where chs and fever prevalent such the city O.
Washington and its vicinity, where rheumatism and
pneumonia exist to extent during tho winter months
The medical records of past years show Washington To
this vicinity it is wholly and entire
ly owing to the presence Of large army, which always
engenders and carries with certain amount Of disease
The location Of this army in warmer latitude could
hardly improve its sanitary condition. It is extraor
binary fact that there is disease existing in the
army OF the Potomac proporonatey than exists in tho
several communities from which its soldiers came, which
must be attributed solely to its encampment healthy
region Of country.
DEATHS OF SOLDIERS.
The following deaths Of soldiers have been reported
Geo. NJ. Lewis and Sas s. Lindsey, Company B, Sec
ond Berdan 9 SharpshOoters.
Edward Amcs, Company A. Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers
G. W. Frazier, Company G Eleventh Maine Volunteers
Sergeant Memo Warath Company X, First New York
artillery
George NJ Lewis, Company b, Second regiment Der.
dams Sharpshooters
George W. Bedien, Company E, Second Wisconsin
Volunteers.
Vim. Leach Company B., Fifty ninth Now York volun
teers.
REVIEW OF THE SIXTH REGULAR CAVALRY.
The Sixth regiment OF regular cavalry will be reviewed
by the Presidential the White House tomorrow Tho
regiment is nearly full 1t has been in than
three months has attained surprising proficiency
drill.
SOLDIER SHOT BY AN OFFICER.
Captain Thomas Turner of tho Four th infantry shot
member Of the Patrol Guard, named John C. Halter,
bugler in Company Z, Fourth regiment United States
valry this afternoon, in front Of the National Hotel.
Captain Turner arrested and conveyed to tho head
quarters Of the Provost Marshal.
PAYMENT OF THE TROOPS.
Now that the excitement Of New Years 10 over, the
thermometer several degrees lower than was and
advance making against from the enemy, troops
the nnd tho subject Of their ray for the
month the most interesting topic OF talk In the
Of week AL will receive their pay The rolls are
being rapidly prepared possible to into the haads
Of the Paymaser General. It is estimated that three
fourths Of the receipts Of army and washing
will be sent by soldiers to their families. The repeal
of the law giving suffers lien upon the soldiers pay
highly satisfactory 10 the troops.
MORE sHODDY FRAUDS ON THE GOVERNMENT.
The Quartermaster Of the Seventh Maize regiment re-
ceived from the Clothing Bureau Saturday and
pantaoons for that regiment but thereafter
obliged to return them, owing to the fraud which,
their manufacture and material had been practised upon
the government.
GENERAL FREMONT sUpPGNAED BEFORE TIE CON-
GKEsSI0NAL WAR COMMITTEE
Tho commission tho conduct Of the war appointed
by Congress- have subpenaed General Fremont appear
before them and it is expected that he will give his test
mony Monday noxt He is confident that he will re-
leve himself from the alleged charges against him. His
testimony, 1t is said, will be lengthy.
FIGHT BETWEEN THE GUNBoATs YANKEE AND ANA
COSTA AND THE REBEL BATTERY AT COCKPIT
POINT.
The HERALD special correspondent the Lower Poto-
mac reports as follows
UNITED STATES STEAMER STEPPING STOVES !
PoToHAc RIVER, Jan. 2, 1852.
An experiment tried this morning for tho purpose
Of determining whether the rebel battery Cockpit
Point be attacked and so, In what with the
greatest hopes Of At O'Clock the Anacosta
approached the battery, and took position somewhat
above and opposite Mattawoman creek. She threw in
number Of shells, several Of which explode
right the rebel battery The Yankee then got under
way and stood for tho battery, ranging herself right
opposite. She commenced by firing two shells from
her bow gun, Q sixty -four pounder, and afterwards
continued to pour In her fire tho enemy from her
after guns, consisting Of thirty.two pouudcr and
U tWelv0
FOUNDER brass riGcd The enemy replied to the
Yankee for the Anacostia placed that the bate
could not hit her. throwing four shots the second Of
which struck tho Yankee, entering the forscase tho
port side her head being up the river, and knocking
away aknee entirely passing to tho ftarboard side the
shot smashed another knee and dropped the floor
force being spent. The shot from ricd gun and
weighs eighty pounds. 10 needless to say that
Lieutenant Commanding Badger, Of tho Anacostia and
Lieutenant Commanding Eastman, Of tho Yankee, and
all the officers and under them acted with that
cooncss and courage characteristic Of American seamen
ARTILLERY PRACTICE AND EXPERIMENTS.
Grins and woedens batteries practsed several hour.
shooting TO day, Falls Church. Tho firing was no.
TO test tho efficacy of the pieces skill Of tho gunncs
for those have already been thoroughly and successfully
tested but to experiment with two kinds Of shell
Parrots percussion sho and Iotchkss schrapnsl she'll
and kind Of cartridge. tree twelve hundred
yards distant taken the mark Most tho Parrot