The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1862-08-08

and wounded ten Federal officers near
/ Wauenton. Captain Williams, Of tho
/ Michigan cavalry. went out and brought
| in ten offending Virginians. who are to
be held responsible within three days.
As Gen. Hatch has crossed Swift Run
Gap to McGaheysyille, the people OF Cnl-
/ pepper, Orange and Madison were thun-
| der-struck Mt the recent sudden appear
ance OF Union forces under him.
sICoND DISPATCH.
The following letter is.published this
morning from the President to Gen. Lee:
R,rlmond, July 81, 1862.
Sir-On the 22d of this month the Car
/ tel for general exchange Of prisoners
/ was signed between Major General ID. IL.
! Hill on the part Of the Confederate
States, and Major General John a. Dix,
| in behalf of the United States. That
| Cartel stipulated that all prisoners of war
/ hereafter taken shall be discharged on
| parole till exchanged.
/ Scarcely had that Cartel been signed
when the authorities of the United States
commenced practice changing the char
/ ac,cr of the war from such as becomes
+ civilized nations. into n campaign OF in
/ discriminate robbery and murder. The
| general order issued by the Secretary of
/ War of the United States. in the City Of
| Washington, on the very day that the
| Cartel was signed in Virginia, directs the
military commanders of the United
States to take the private property Of our
/ people for convenience, and use the same
without any compensation.
The general order issued by Maj .-Gen.
Pope on the 23d Of July, the day after
the signing of the Cartel, directs the muir
der of our peaceful inhabitants as spies,
il found guilty of tilling the farms in his
rear, even outside OF his lines, and one OF
his Brigadier Generals, Steinwehr, has
seized upon innocent and peaceful inhab-
itants to be held as hostages to the end
that they may be murdered in cold blood
| II any of his soldiers are killed by some
unknown persons whom he designates as
"bushwhackers."
Under this state of facts, this Govern
ment has issued the enclosed general or
der, recognizing Gen. Pope and his com
mlssioned officers 10 be in the position
which they have chosen for themselves
that of robbers and of murderers. and
not that Of public enemies, entitled. if
captured, to be consigned as prisoners of
war. We find ourselves driven bv our
enemies, by steady pro- ress, towards
practice which we abhor, and which we
are vainly striving to avoid. Some of
the military authorities of the United
States seem TO suppose that better Sue
cess will attend a savage war, in which
no quarter is to be given, and no ages or
sex to be spared than has hitherto been
secured by such hostilities as are recog.
nized to be lawful by civilized men in
modern times. For the present we an
nounce our right Of retaliation for the
| innocent. and shall continue to treat pri-
| vatc enlisted soldiers Of Gen. Pope's ar
my as prisoners of war; but after notice
to the Government has been given at
! Washington of our combining repressive
measures to punishment only of com
mssioned officers, who were willing to
| participate in these crimes and savage
practices which are continued, we shall
| reluctantly be forced to the last resort of
accepting the war on the terms chosen
| by our foes until outrages of common
| humanity force Il respect for recognized
/ rules of war. While these facts would
| Justify our resolution to the generous Car
! tel by which we have consented to libe-
rate an excess of thousands of prisoners
| held by US, beyond the number held by
the enemy, sacred regard to phghted
faith, shrinking from the mere semblance
OF breaking apronaiso, prevents our re-
/ sort to this extremity; nor Go we desire
| to extend to any other forces of the enc
my the punishment merited alone by
! Gen. Pope and such commissioned otli-
GERS as choose to participate in the eXecu-
! ton of his infamous orders. You are
| therefore instructed to communicate to
the commandcr-in chief Of the armies of
| the United States, the contents of this
letter, and copy Of the inclosed general
order, to the end that he may be notified
of our intentions not to consider any
officers hereafter captured from Gen.
Pope's army as prisoners of war.
Very respectfully, yours, &C.,
Signed JEFFERSON DAVIS.
To Gen. Robt. Z. Lee, Com'd, &C.
THIRD DISPATCH
Northern dates to the 3lst of July re-
ceyed. The most important news from
Europe brought by the Australia, which
left Liverpool 10Th ult,, is Of an impor-
portant discussion which took place in
Parliament on Lindsay motion to offer
mediation and recognize the Southern
Contederacy After a lengthy debate
L;ndsay's motion was withdrawn.
Lord Palmerston made n remarkable
speech on the occasion, appealing to the
House to leave the matter in the hands
of the Government.
The Paris correspondent Of the London
HeraM again asserts that Napoleon is
about to offer the mediation Of France to
America, and says the drift of public
opinion is in favor of such a course.
The following special dispatch was re-
ceived by the Lynchburg Rcpujlicaa this
morning:
Charlottesville, Aug. 4.-The National In.
tligcncer and Baltimore SIN OF late date
received in .Staunton, announce the rcsig-
nation of Seward.
The Governors of Pennsylvania, Ohio
and Connecticut refuse to send more men
into the field.
The National hteligenccr accuses Seward
Of having been for the last sixty days
trying, through England, to bring about
an armistice!
Vallandigham is stumpng Ohio against
the war and the administration, address
ing immense audiences with great favor
and applause.
Cairo, July 2G.-A steamer from the
Tennessee brings news Of rebel raid at
Florence, Ala. On Tuesday they enter.
cd the city and burned warehouses filed
with Yankee commissary and quarter
masters stores, and all the cotton in tho
vicinity, They seized a steamer used for
conveying army supplies over the shoals,
took all the money belonging to tho boat
and passengeYh alA hMNnnn hhn hnnA