Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1862-04-05
HOW THE REBELS GET THEIR
LETTERS AND PAPERS,.

The truth is, the Confederate authorities
have agents among ia who forward to their
masters the news from Boston and New
York, Sc, with regularity and prompt
ness which leave the recipients little to
desire jeff. Davis and his counselIors
have the New York papers at the rebel
capitol within twenty -four hours after their
issue, and this not occasionally or through
unusual channels and chances, but as the
result of regular system Of mail trans
portaiion. An instant's reflection is suffi-
cient to show that the rebel leaders do not
trust their correspondence to such uncer-
tain conveyances as are afforded by the
straggers here and there who succeed in
passing our lines. The fact is equally no
torious that the rebel government is placed
il possession Of every notable item of in.
telligence, either foreign or domestic, al.
most simultaneously with ourselves. How
is this done
THE WATER ROUTE.
There are three great routes by which
letters and newspapers are daily trans
ported from the northern states to the
south side Of the Potomac. The first Of
these which | shall notice is the water
route via the Chesapeake Bay. Its head
quarters are in Baltimore, To get the
mails from New York and other points to
the Monumental City is such an easy mat
ter that we need not inquire whether they
are taken in the form Of various articles
Of merchandise, or through the regular
United States mail, under cover to sundry
respectable Union men - of that city
The remainder of the transportation on
this route is performed by water, little
boats and tugs running down the Chesa.
peake under cover Of the night. and land.
ing the mails at convenient stations on the
Virginia coast, in the lower Potomac. The
sole difficulty in operating this arm of the
rebel service is the "ilo.ila Of The Chesa.
peake," which remains conveniently in
the lower bay for days together, at times,
and thus affords the agents of the Confed
eracy q clear field. What with the cover
Of darkness, an intimate knowledge of the
costs, celebrity, and variety of papers
and characters for their boats, etc, the
rebels have made this route thus FAR the
most sure and prompt medium of trans.
porting the northern and eastern mails to
the South.
THE WAGON ROUTE.
The next route in Importance is the wa
gon or pike route, which has its headquar-
ters in Washington. Its operations are
based upon the possession of the counter
sign by the rebels. The lower counties of
Maryland, especially the districts in the
neighborhood Of the river, are closely and
strongly in sympathy with the rebels As
steamsters can 60 and come everywhere in
the State, without let or hindrance from
our pickets, the only thing essential to the
carrier Of the mail by this route is for him
to vividly imagine himself teams,er in
the United States service, and perhaps
have those magic initials on his wagon -
He receives his mail about dark on each
day, within hundred rods of the Capitol,
aud is provided at the same time with the
countersIgn Of our army for the night. He
has then only to drive down the pixies iuto
the counties below Washington, ride bold,
ly through the lines of our pickets (which
have not till lately become efficient there's
abouts,l give the countersign as correctly
as it could be furnished by Gen. cClellan
himself, and then proceed to the appoint
ed rendezvous on the bank of the river,
mails across the river. The whole service
on this route is performed with safety md
dispatch, on simple business principles
The only difficulty ever experienced, as
far as our informant Ga rebel prsoLer)
knew, was occasioned by the torgetfulnes
of the carrier, who one night, permitted
the countersign to slip out OF his remem-
brance, and accordingly found himself un.
der the necessity of knocking one our pick
cts senseless before he could pass on the
boat in waiting.
THE OCEAN RoCE.
A third and very important route for the
transmission of intelligence to the rebels
is the Atlantic Ocean itself. 1t is gener-
ally known that our blockade does not
extend above the Capes of Virginia, and
that the same lights which enable our
transports to reach Fortress Monroe are
equally suitable to guide rebel packet 10
Norfolk. The writer trusts he may be
pardoned for stating the fact that the fed
eral authorities, from Marshal Murray to
the President, do not appear to have paid
sufficient attention to the ease and celerity
with which the re bel agents and sympath-
izcrs in our midst can communicate by
thir route with their trends in Secessia -
The ",hrough time of intelligence from
New York to any part of the South via
Cape Henry and Norfolk need not exceed,
in pleasant weather, thirty or thirty f We
hours. The writer has no doubt, from as
surances which have been made to him.
that frequent communication is kept up
between our city and Cape Henry by sev.
eral fast steamers and tugs, which are os
,ensbly employed in quite different bus
iness--N \. Ecening Post.
An Ohio stumper while making speech
paused moment in the midst of It, and
exclaimed Now gentlemen, what do you