New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-08-27
FROM THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC
The Returned Prisoners-The Nyge" Hos
pitai and Sanitary Boats-A Marrow
Escape-The 37th n. L. aud 9ota Pa
Reai,ncnfs-Ii of the O1icers.
f1on Our Special Corresrondent.

EsCapc-htc YIN NJ uhi VOt" So
Regiments-Liss of the Onicers.
From Our Special Correspondent.
YORKTOWN, Thursdsy, Ausust 90 1867
With the execution of tie evacuation Of Harrison
landing. there has been a perfect dearth of news
sor last three weeks in the Army OF the fo.oA"N
The second night after the arrival OF the nees :"
Fortress Monroe, about O'Clock, met L.
crowd of men few PAGES below the hyser -.v
Hospital aud on inquiring who 'hey "ei 70 g
that they were party Of officers aoou' 49,.
exchanged prisoners from Richmond 4""i' o.1
looked bad enough from their ons .on""0'-o'',
harbarovs treatment, but the nHJoii'! "''o io'
healthy men, who appeared 10 nave Sio"" ''' %
their miseries. A few were treated Ike men, anu
~. nos, lie brutes. in the prisons of the Con-
federacv. Nearly all declared that they "ou'u
80, Ia taken prisoners again. so horrible beng
tb,; ,gboe treatment throughout, that death would
- "a, preferable to falling into the hands
of such pack of fends. The following morning
about O'Clock met a much larger body OF men
nearly in the same place, who had evidently laDueu
Pom n steamer at the warf. l looked with pity
r-on their Bonded forms, and rale ana haggsrd eat-
n,es and thought that they were on the way 10 the
Hospital when noticing the dust upon their clothes,
and the officers at tue slde OF the men, II struck ms
that they were a portion OF the Army OF the roo
mac who had lust arrived az Fortress Monroe from
their overlan' march scross the Peninsula. And
10 IL proved. They were tie remnant OF regiment,
and were certainly more fitted Tor the hospital than
the field ,he camp, or the march. Several officers
lave EXPRESSED their opinion as TO the destination OF
tue army believing that the whole we're being sent
70 Alexandria or the neIghbOrhood Of Washington,
for the purpose of recruiting the health OF the
men, and drilling and properly preparing
the 600 600 raw troops for the field. Others think
that the srmy going to be divided by re-en1orce-
rnents TO Gems. Pope aud Burnside. 10 give some
idea of the state that this army was in and what 1t
,,lt aluh eQm N
the Peninsula few more weeks, have only TO
tell you that from the llth to the 10Th OF this month
no less than s3Itcea thousand sick were removed
from Harrison's Landing, upon the steam
ers belonging to the Sanitary Commission. never
could have credited the report, but that Lad ~
yesterday morning from the lips OF tie surgeon IN
charge Of the Wander ill., While Hpon this subJec',
NAV AS well state that the sick and wou1deu az
the Hygec Hospital have been removed from there,
placed ON board the George Washington, Ports
mouth and o'her steamers, and conveyed 10 CIsney
Island, short distance above Norioik ire STATE
of Maine III City, Vanderbilt, John Brooks, and
other steamers be Onging TO the Sanitary Commits
s.a have also been cleared of the sick and wounded,
and converted into transports. Before tbs reaches
you all the steamboats, Will have loaded Win troops
from Yorktown and the vicinity OF Fortress Monroe,
aud have landed them at some point, Which, even IL
I knew, it would be my duty not to state.
Or fg a.t.1s movements are ineomPrenensloie
puzzles TO ali, bu; TO the very few. Alter
remaining at Fortress Monroe four or five days, and
me ana IiDding that load after load Of troops Were
moving OF, without III any degree sigiiying my
course, st last Iook small boat and rowed 10 the
Vanderbilt, which heard would soon move Of TO
- sonc place for troops. After waiting beard i've
elk hours the order at last came Ina We should
proceed 10 Yorktown. We anchored Tor the night
"; the mouth Of the York River, ~ it was con
sideTed too dangerous navigate that treacherous
stream in the dark. About O'Clock the following
Il, morning we arrived opposite Yorktown. The river
was full Of transport steamers, sChOOners aud barges
and the shores and hights above lined with tIoOp-.
AT the two wharves the Forest City and
Long Island loading with troops Two days before
had noticed the former steamer IA front OF Fortress
Monroe, her decks psddle-bo&es, and pilotLoGse,
black with solciers there being no less than fifteen
hundred on board. Though sbe was pretty wei
crowded or the present OCCASION i could see tina
she had not near so many as before We lay a6Ou
halt mi from her, and as knew that severs
hours if not days, would elapse before tie Wander
bit would be loaded, determined if possible ~ ge
Oh board tne Forest City. But how, was the ques
tion
taia, and the probability that before she 20
back the Forest Guy would have lett her dock. \
this moment boat arrived alongside the Nanoer
biit, rO3ed 10y negro, with two soldiers slJlng II
the STEM They had come for the purpose Of visit
ing s0Ie Of their sick comrades whom they ,hough
were OF board. On learning that the steamer wa
longer used as "a hospital, they Were abou
showing OF, when asked and was allowed permits
N sion to step in. So anxi0us / 10 get Of that
neither noticed the condiliODO the boat her grea
load, Or that she was fast filing with wafer FRS
becane aware of the latter fact when | found that
could get 10 place 10 put my trals without
saiWatDg them with water l then looked al ;he
boat FOR The frat tine, and heartily wished myeeli
back Hcain upon the deck OF the Vanderbilt. more
ailsIidated concern 1 never saw. IL was q ueIlect
wreck, aud was evidently built several
years ago. The water leaking in all around
from tie sides, while near ny feet II bubblec M IN
quite a little stream. Neither the soldiers at the
other end Of the boat, nor the negro who wac row
ing, appeared 10 know that there d4I ger Of
tie boat being ca sized by their careless movements
G: Of il sinking by filing with water. One Of the
soldiers commenced bailing out the water (which
TN diPper winch would probaibably hold pint
ali half. The water leaked into the boat much
fssler than il could be baled out, and every time
tLat dipperiul was thrown over The side the boat
narrowly escaped capsiling. We not more
thru half way, and fearing that should not get
there al all at that rate, advised the negro 10
faster and the soldier 10 bail faster al the time
fc.ling the latter very slight movement OF his
would capsze the boat. AZ j expected, | Wa
laughed at for my fear and advice; and as saw the
wster getting deeper and the boat sinking lower j
fond that must really alarm them should
be ~ tbs bottom before could proceed another
hundred yards. commenced pulling of my coat, 81
the same time asking II any OF them cOrld swim
No, the answer from the whole Of them
the looked toward with changed counter
snce. D." Ihen" said /, az l commenced 10 bail the
wafer oat with my strsw bat, am very sorry for
you; rs lucky for that SWIM the boat j.
sinkIsg acd III less than {. minute she'll 20 down.
Tins bad the desired effect, ana douDt saved
all from waleTy grave With a VIII tie negro
rO~ed, aud the soldier biiled, and still the water
;sained spon US III the boat until u within five
OF siH inches from the top, but nearing the
Forest Cfiy, and more than hundred
sDd Iity yards from her when ] saw about iiity
or slxty SOLDIERS swimming. Two or three were
rnf I'd l,.tf,