The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-06-21
War News of the Week.

to report.
The most exciting topic in connection
with McClellan's army is bold raid made
by rebel force on Friday of last week
They proceeded from Richmond north tc
Old Church, which is on McClellan's ex
IRENE right, proceeded thence north east
ward to Garlick's landing, in our rear, ape
there burnt two federal schooners, thanc.
bearing to the southeast passed clea
around the outside of our army, stoppin.
at With House to fire into railroad trair
and thence safely passing our extreme
left, returned to Richmond The force thai
did this consisted Of 1900 cavalry with
pieces Of artillery. Our officers are said te
be perfectly amazed at the daring as vel
rs success Of tho feat The guide who
riIoted the force on this route must moi
only have been very intimately acquainted
with the country, bu: also with the exac
location of the different divisions OF GU,
army.
Beyond this, and frequent picket Skin
mishing, there appears 10 have been M
fighting or important movement on either
side near Richmond during the week.
Mcclellan is now said to be receiving
reinforcements, while the rebel army i.
positively said to amount to 10000 men.
The news from North Carolina look.
more favorable to tho Unicn cause thar
it did last week. There is no doubt thai
the Governor of North Carolina has taken
the responsibility to release batch o.
Union prisoners without consulting the
rebel government.
The Valley OF the Shenandoah does not
promise a very bright page in the history
of this war. As affairs have been managed,
Stonewall Jackson has been enabled to
| defeat in three engagements. three times
his own force. Fremont. after managing
to get in Jackson's rear, instead of coming
in ahead of him, got about as good as
whipped, and then Jackson, escaping at
his leisure, encounters Shields at Port
Republic, and whips him also. Fremont,
learning that Shield, was whipped and
driven down the river by Jackson, says
q" have sent cavalry to communicate with
Shields" Why not send him reinforce
ments
Shields army, after the Port Republic
encounter, partially disorganized and scat
tered, struggled back to Front Royal,
where it is now posted, collecting together
its scattered fragments. Fremont retreat
ed back to Harrisonburg, thence to New
Market, and thence to Mt jackson, the
terminus of the Manassas Gap Railroad,
where he is now Jackson some accounts
say has been reinforced and is about to
return and chase Fremont as he did Banks,
while other accounts have HIM on the
way to Richmond.
| There is no news from Halleck's army
beyond mysterious intimations of move
ments going forward that will soon startlt
the country General Popos army is still
away down the Mobile & o. r. r. in the
vicinity of OkoIona, picking up 100 strag
ling seceshers day, while no clearly an
ticipates no fight, for he has left his army
of 10000 and returned to Illinois on a
short furlough. Halleck is still at Corinth
and has opened the railroad from that
point to Columbus, Memphis, &c.
Memphis is quiet, and under Union
auspices business is slowly reviving. Vast
amounts of concealed cotton, sugar, mo
lasses, &c, are coming to light and are
being shipped north. Col. Fitch and
command, with several gunboats have
| gone down the river on an expedition il
search of rebel steamers, and at last &C
counts had made quite haul in White
River, Ark. while the command of til.
city has been turned over to Col Slack, o
the 47th Ind. regiment Gen. Lew. Wal
lace, of Buell's army, with his command
arrived at Memphis ON Wednesday, ant
if his destination is not some other point
the probability is he will assume com,
mand Of the city.
The attack on Charleston, noticed in GU,
last, seems to be pushed with vigor, and
with favorable promises of success, but no
! decisive results had been reached at latest
! accounts.
| There is news in the most positive
terms, from at least three different quar-.
tiers. that Fort Morgan, the only projections
to Mobile has surrendered to the federal
fleet, yet as there is nothing to indicate
that the federal forces have entered Mo
bile. the reports about Fort Morgan seem
apoeryphal.
80 news of especial interest from New
Orleans The health of the army in that
quarter continued good. There has been
sonse fighting above New Orleans between
guerilas and gunboat parties, and it was
found necessary to send some shells into
Baton Rouge to quiet that city; but
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