New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1862-02-15
NUMBER 292.
Letter from Virginia,
Special 10 the New Orleans Creseent.l ~. "l

49,.
...,.! J. aI.ss -..t4 RscHsosD, February 5,iasl
pass over, az unworthy Of serious notice at this
time, the late tidings about foreign armed inter-
vention. Not that dscredit it, but since the Ma.
son and sIideu affair, it becomes us to be circum-
spect in all matters relating to the war i shall be
rich next year, but meantime may starve to death
Within sixty days the French Emperor, and her
widowed Majesty, Queen Victoria, may not only
recognize the Confederacy, but become its hearty
allies. For the present, however, we must look to
Columbus, to Savannah and to Mobile, as though
neither France nor England had an existence. II
gives me pleasure to state that the Government
and the people here are entirely alive to these
facts, and more than ever disposed to rely upon
themselves The latter, it must be admitted, do
not understand the critical situation of affairs on
the Mississippi, and if they did, such is their pro-
found confidence in Beauregard that they would
feel secure at hearing of the descent of million of
Yankees and thousand gunboats upon Columbus.
The agitation OF the public mind occasioned bv
the resignation Of Generals Bonham snd Stone
wall jackson, has quickly subsded at hearing
that the War Department would make such amends
to the latter as 70 induce him to remain in com
mand OF perhaps the plEekiest little army We have
anywhere, ,and' one which entertains the highest
admiration for its commander. Jackson IS de.
scrbed ss spare man, above the medium stature
with dark hair and eyes, sallow complexion, and
habit Of holding his head back so that he never
looks at the ground. He is as brave and cool as q
human being can be; Presbyterian who carries
the doctrine of predestination to the borders OF
positive fatalism-the very man to storm the infer.
nal regions in case of necessity. Silent and un-
communicative, exceedingly polite, yet short and
prompt in his speech, he has but little to do with
the commanders under him, but is devoted in his
attentions to the men, especially to those that are
SICK. he now occupies Romney, but will probably
With regard to Bonham's resignation, there is
apparently such gross injustice mot to say mean
ness, in the treatment to which he has been sub
jected that deem it best to leave the matter open
mention the fact that the publication Of the re-
ports of various battles fought in 1861 has began
after considerable struggle in Congress as to the
propriety of publishing them without mutilation.
emasculation no one seems to know. Nor does
any one seem to be aware of the good that has
been effected by withholding these reports to this
late day: 1t is pity, all agree in thinking,
that the Government should be afraid to permit the
public to judge between the merits Of a Generals
opinion and the fixed but never openly announced
policy of the Administration. The effect Of an
on-handed suppression of asmere opinion is but
to breed future and greater troubles. It requires
no prophet to foretel that the expungated portion
of the report of the Battle of Manassas will one
day see the light and do thousand fold more
harm than it could possibly have done if it had
been given to the public the moment it come from
the pen.
Much speculation still exists as to the where.
abouts and whatabouts of Burnside. Has he left
Hatteras or has he not That is the question. He
may be gone to help Sherman reduce Savannah,
or he may yet pounce upon Gen. Wise at Roanoke
Island, and gobble him up. The Yankee descrip-
ton of his appearance during the mighty storm
that prevailed before and after his arrival at Hat
teras is amusing. Gen. Burnside was every
where. With nothing to distinguish him but his
yellow sash, blue Shirt souch hat, high boots, and
speaking trumpet, he looked like sea god" Oh
Neptune. what pcture! sea god in boots, q
divinity in blue shirt, deity ia a slouch hat,
with yellow sash and speaking trumpet Bah !!
This same Burnside, who is a very handsome and
very rich widower, went out of Washington last
July, enveloped in flowers given him by the fair
Goldfish loyalists Of the city. He returned in about
three days without any coat, without any hat, and
without any shoes. Whereupon the secession
ladies Of Washington got up a subscription, and
made him present, on the sly of pair of slip
pers. Hence his furore to lead an expedition
against the South. The idea of such creature
saying, the contractors have ruined me, but
God holds me in the palm of his hand" What
blasphemy!
Owing to the great number of soldiers here on
furlough aud to the prevalence of bad whisky, an
alarming spirit of lawessness manifesting itself.
To knock down and drag out, to stab In dark
alleys and in bar.rooms, to raise row in bagnios,
and to shoot pistols freely in the crowded hall of a
negro minstrel concern, are now the chief pastimes
of our refined society. In addition to these bloody
refreshments, we have Blind Tom," who draws
enormous houses in all sorts Of weather, series of
amateur concerts of which the public is getting
rather sick, and series of lectures generally to
empty benches. MALou.