Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-04-29
Col. Seek E~EorgaE.
High Water,
AETTuE Fnor RlUnmoxD.
SPecsal Correspondence Of the Appeal
Anr- i. IS

SPecsal Correspondence u the Appeal
RICHMOND, AP1- L, 1852.
This day twelve months ago, d. about Tia
very hour thet / Bm writing these ines tie CrdinaRsS
of Secession was passed BY the Convention q Virgil
Your correspondent well remembers tie dsy. The peac.
blossoms hung over the garden walls Cd now, tla sly
was just as ~chequs-ed with floating clouds tbo cary
wheat Of just as tender Q green, I'll nature as peaceful,
As promising, as It appears at tbs moment There was
a wild excitement in the E%treets. q Suspense well nigh in.
toIera5!e, Cor the Ordnance lad passed in secret session,
and the fact was not generally known TIE pr-caza,
ton OF Lincoln lad been received however, two Lays,
previous and 10 ozs doubted what course Virginia
woGid p2rsus- Irecouecta walk TOOK ihat night o white
round Noon riding Ia the sky overhead, with u northern
lEsr1tsTr Of 10 Lite distraction, who bad the folly 10 20.
heye mat re ooud 70 70 Charleston > -r IN lis gLopG
character, as a CoLcsrouleCt q the New York TINS
In vain did / assure HIM that Blca q sep YVES the IiELt
Of a0surtityi that secession was @ lac. That could not
with he lines drawn deeply and EEcu-y between
%arb aa1 south t--t we ths nd D should ba -s
deadly foes before May morning He argued against
all tbs thought the rebellion would never assume -a7
serious dimensions, and tDat 30 should be alle % Cur0l-
ieie the whole OF il in ous season IL bis letters % tla
New Nork Inns. Ina next Cgy when Do heard tie
tumUltuous s8oulrs u tie people over i-8 published
newsi secession he clangel his Liad end returned
homeT3r1 jus. IA tine 10 WItuuss tie street. Nglg with
the Massachusetts, regiment IL Baltimore
Twelve months have IuCe gone by months u victory.
and disaster, q silly confidence aad sllsg suplLeusss GU
- f-r " A- E+NF-etN- -- e-ht.N~a'A'A ~
tivity on tho part Of the enemy, during which Maryland
has been enSaved, Kentucky pdTIyzed aud Tennessee
OvsTTuu, q q yet no sensible man on either eide can say
that The admlnisral0u al Wa51-lEt1l Los lulye- S-g
nearer the sublugation of the South Ian II was while
tie ink was sui wef on old Abes proclamation. The
DisnnIts4 states under t-s able hlaCLcsIlE OF lI. Chase
has accomplished q debt Of eleven hundred millions OF
dollarS and has sent into the field immense armies 70
fight, for whut9 The restoration Of the Union No.
For nothing beyond the naked territorial question of the
vi ~POsssdcrLs or the status quo ants bslam. Il may be
that suca Of Us as shall live TO hail the morning OF the
l1h Of April, 1868, will see the war still raging, but it
requires no giit Of prophecy 20 declare tlug whatever
successes shall be gained meanwhile, the Confederate
States will be as far from subiugau0n as ever.
We have been waiting with ears erect all tie week 10
hear from Yorktown that the great shock Of arms had
commenced there and yesterday afternoon when 10 was
known that a furious ssirmish i'm large numbers was
going on at WINS Mil, expectation ran high that the
tine had at length arrived when tie issue was to be de-
termined, But to-day We learn that after al il was a
very iDconsiderable affair, comparatively speaking, in
which, however, we obtained the decided advantage.
The Yankees were ten or fifteen thousand strong; the
exact number Is not known But three Confederate
regiments were engaged, and those, after having been
driven from their rifle pits by the overwhelming num-
beers Of the enemy, TetOOk the works with dashiUg iutTe-
pidity, and remained masters Of the field The casualties
on our side were twenty killed and sgventy-dye or
eighty wounded among the former Col Mckinney, Of
North Carolina. The loss Of the Yankees IS known to
have been severe, as whole lanes were made through
their columns by our artillery.
1 begin TO have my doubts whether there is to be a
general battle at Yorktown, for some time 10 come at
least During the earlier part OF the week a great mum
Der Of distinguished military men were in Richmond,
and conferences were undoubtedly held as to the policy
to be pursued in the Peninsula Gems. Johnston, Jones,
Whiting, LOngstreet, stuart, were among these officer
Rssuredly a strong combination Of strategic talent and
military genius Gen Johnston went to the Peninsula
this morning, and it is possible for the purpose Of making
the attack and forcing Mcclellan 20 give battle. Other
wise l am persuaded there will be no big tight there for
some time. Mcclellan will go 10 fOrtdying-it VIII be
ssnd-bag against s~and-bag, ditch versus ditch, spade
opposed to spade, in which we have never gained any
thing.
The arrival Of NJ. MERCER, the French minister resi-,
dent at Washington, has created much speculation here,
but the exact object Of his eXceleRcy's visit is probably
known to nobody outside the Cabinet. TIE two BIS Of
the State Department, Messrs Benjamin and Browne,
who are anything but busy B's' wIl have the rare
opportunity of extending the assurances Of their dis
ungUished confederation Z somebody, and possibly
they NAV do this 10 some purpose. But the chances are
that NJ. MERCER merely desires TO make some arrange
ment for getting tobacco for France without armed inter
ve1ton in our affairs, 10 waicn event IT. is regarded as
pretty certain that be msy 60 back to Washington again
as soon IS he plesEeA
The Hon. Richard Kidds- Meade, died very suddenly
to-day, Of gout in the stomach, at his home in Petersburg.
Mr.. Meade had but recently returned from Brazil, where
he resided for several years as United States minister ut
the court Of Pedro. He was, perhaps, the most prOmi-
nent candidate for the seat in Congress made vacant by
the resignation Of the Hon. Col Rog r A. Pryor.
DIXIE