Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1862-04-15

Free Fighters.

Free Fighters.
We give below an Act of the Confederate Con-
gress authorizing the President to accept Vol
unteer Companies for local defence or special
service. It has been suggested that the force
proposed to be organized by Col. Kenton Har-
per, as FREQ Fighters, may be more successfully
raised under the provisions Of this Act. II
Battalion should be raised, it would be attached
to Gen. Jackson's Division. One of the Com
panies would be on special duty at Slaunton, all
the time, as local military police at the Hospi
tai, and Quartermaster, Commissary and Ord
nance Depots, while the remainder will be sub
Iject to the order of Gen. jackson, only IN cases
of great emergency-such as impending battle.
We would suggest that efforts be made to Or
eanize these companies from such persons as are
prevented by physical or other disability from
going permanently into the field; that as many
be enrolled as possible, and that they be brought
together and organized into Companies. Cannot
Old Augusta do something to advance the good
cause in this way The Act of Congress reads
as follows:
An Act to prooide for Local Defence and Spe
ciaZ Scruice
| Section !. The Congress of the Confederate
States Of America do enact, That the President
lbe, and he is hereby authorized to accept the
services Of Volunteers of such kind and in such
proportions as he may deem expedient, to serve
for such time as he may prescribe, for the de-
fence of exposed localities, or such special SER
vice as he may deem expedient.
| Section 2. And such forces shall be mustered
into the service of the Confederate States, for To-
cal defence or special service aforesaid, the mus
ter roll setting forth distinctly the services to be
performed and the said volunteers shall not be
considered in active service until thereunto spe-
lcially ordered by the President. And they shall
be entitled to pay or subsistence only for such
time as they may be on duty under the orders OF
the President, or under his direction.
Sec. 3. Such volunteer forces, when SO order.
ed or accepted into service, shall be organized
in accordance with and subject to all the prOviS
ions of the act entitled, can Act to provide fol
the Public Defence approved March 9th, 1861
and may be attached to such divisions, brigades
regiments or battalions as the President may di
rect, and when not organized into battallons OF
regiments before being mustered into servics
t the President shall appoint the field officers O
the battalions and regiments, when organized a
. such by him.
Approved Aug. q, 1861.
Il The Battle of Shiloh.
The great battle which was fought on Sunday
the 9th inst. occurred not at Corinth, as at frs
reported, but at Shiloh, on the border of Ten
nessee, near Pittsburg, and about 18 miles fron
} lCorinth, in Mississippi. Whilst our forces wer
concentrated at or near Corinth, the forces unde
General Grant, of the Federal army, numberin
q about go 200, came down the Tennessee river AM
encamped at or near Pittsburg, where they wer
} awaiting the arrival of similar force under tn
i command of Gen. Buell., when these two massiv
: columns were to be precipitated jointly upo
o our forces at Corinth. Before the arrival Q
j. Gen. Buell's column, Gen. Johnston marche
the forces under his command and fell upon tn
forces of Gen. Grant, when the great battle G
Shiloh, on Sunday, took place. In this battle
= We gained great victory, took 5000 prisoners
80 pieces of cannon, and vast quantity of stores
. The enemy retrested to the river within the pro
L lection of their gunboats, where they were re
nforced by portion of Gen. Buell's forces
The fight was renewed on Monday and continue
Q till one O'Clock, when our forces fell back to
8 stronger position in the direction of Corinth.
: The Richmond Dispatch, Of yesterday, say
d that the Hon. Mr.. Tibbs, of the House of Repre-
/. sentatives, who arrived in Richmond, from Chat
tanooga, estates, confidently, that the number o
prisoners taken is not less than 200, and the en-
q emy's loss in the battles of Sunday and Monday
in killed and wounded, by their own admission
> reaches $4,000 Mr.. T. also states that nearly tn
: whole of the ammunition and stores captured b
. our army on Sunday, and which Gen. Beuaregar
T. had to leave behind him when he retired to Coz
n inth, had been saved by the gallant and indefat
9 gable Morgan, whose very name is a terror t
It the enemy in the Southwest"
0 We think that another and more decisive bat
< tie will be fought near Corinth in short time
; if it has not already taken place.
The Fight in Scott County Tennessee.
t The Knoxville Registers" account of tn
: fight near Huntsville, Scott County, Tenn, say
e that the Confede ate force Which encountere,
t and dispersed the Unionists, consisted of par
] of Col. Vaughn's Regiment, part of the 2,
: Alabama Regiment, and body of Cavalry, al
# 1nder command of Col. Vaughn.
d The casualties on our eide were four kle.
o and ten wounded. Col. Vaughn himself mad
: a narrow escape. Riding up to party of tn
y enemy whom he mistook for his friends, be mad
9 himself known to them. They Immediately lev
e elled their guns at him, but before they coult
= fire, he threw himself from his horse down .
q steep embankment and escaped.
: One hundred and fifty of the horses of the en-
: emy were captured by the Confederates, ant
o more bacon than thsy could find transportation
for besides other colnlnissary stores OF the Fed
erals, among which were a great quantity o
b green apples. The victory seems to have beer
b a most complete enc, and as usual the Federa
greatly outnumbered our forces
An English View.
The London Post OF the 18th ult., SAYS that s
) appears impossible the Amer. can contest car
continue very long, 1t is quite sufficient for one
of the Confederscies 10 be unable TO fight further
in order to insure its termination Whether The
South can continue hostilities for an indefinite
period not, 1t seems very clearly that the Nortz
cannot. "The Washington Government il
b os--lk u Al