, 1862-12-24

a.4c. ~ .Ac!itS uHu pTomplucss "lLn
waiting for the establishment Of headquarters,
hut taking the nearest accommodations that |
offered, the entire absence Of ostcntation and
pride, and the easy cor1iality which he dis
dence and esteem Of officers and men
1mre Raid that the news Of General Stee1c's
supctsedure was received with surprise, but
il was with still greater qualification. The
feeling Of the army was we'll expressed by a
change is for the BETTER said he. As ads
trict commander, Gen Stecle' is flilure. |
Twice tried, he has given satisfaction only to
the rebels, who rank him with Buell. and Nc /
Cle]lan, M one Of our ablest officers. None |.
deny him fair abilities asa field officer, and yet
but few have confidence in him. Bis record |
is against him, and it is a record which, in the |
army Of the Union, brings with it neither re-
srect nor esteem. The simple truth is that |
Gen. Steele is intensely unpopular with the |
amy: and that bis removal from i, entirely |
and permanently, would be hailed with |
inezprcesiblc joy: Nor is it difficult to |
account for this state Of feeling Let |
ne give Some Of the more obvious reasons. |
He is intensely pro-slayery In his feelings. !
tratian fHeit!e @ elayes 81 have % been R forei
bly, returned to their rebel masters. Not !
Withstanling the act of Congress, guarantee
irg to persons Of African descent, employed
in the service Of the United 6tates in any
pay 1NEut dk LIZ 1slEE u lEu utli3I6
per month, he, by published order, INSTRUCT
cd his subordinates to withhold this pay from
those who had earned II, and to hold it sub
jret to The claim Of their former masters Hc
nlso rendered it exceedingly difficult to pro-
cure clothing for them, and in consequence,
1,aly suffered for the neccsBaries of Life. I
myself know Of more than one who actually
died from want and starvation. He has been,
and is, yery careful and tender of rebel prop
erty. He holds it to be sacred thing not to
1fn-x- %1.-4 4fS4 TT..T- ~
Guarding rebel property is not get done with
here, and Gen. Steele would hare, as his or
ders clearly indicate, his soldiers suffer with
hunger rather than touch a sccesh hog, tur-
| key or chicken. No officer, thus mindful Of
! rebel interests, thus proslayery in thought
and deed, cal, ever be popular with this army
| Of practical Abolitionists-
But this is not all. Under previous conf
manders, it was exceedingly difficult for cltl-
/ zens to obtain passes within our lines. Day
/ ver's headquarters, aud seen him turn back to
| their homes scores of hungry citizens who
besought him for permission to procure few
Of the lure necessaries Of life. Though harsh,
spies without o1r lines and taught the people
| something Of the power and strength Of The
| Government. But with the coming Of Gen
Steele all this was changed. Access 10 Helena
| was rendered as easy as though no war we're
raging. The streets 6war1ned with rebels,
cursing the Government. whose aid they were
cun3pclledto to seek III order to avoid starvation.
No oath Of allegiance WAS asked Of them, for
that would be an insult. Only a simplea1tir
ton that tthcirpnrcllaScs ere for their ownuse,
and they were ut liberty to to 1ake home with
them wagons loaded down with Yankee Mer-
c1andses So untratnmeled was this traffic,
so easy Of access this town, that on more than
one fine morning have been puzzled, as
walked along eyer-crowded Main street, to de.
tcr1ninc which most prcdominatcd, on the
1%,f1 f1ac 81 mt ff,a 1,orn -cr,3
dicrs or citizens. Since Gen German ha:
taken command, I am happy to say, that tlt
former restrictions htye sgaln been applied
and it is now once more almost impossible tx
cnter our lines from without: Its with NJ
desire to injure Gen. Steele that have thus
written, but simply to account for the undo
ni.llc fact Of his extreme unpopularity will
tie army
Phillips county, Of which Helena is til.
Capital, was formerly the richest county i
whites and S,941 Slaves. Now there i
not slave in it. The few that arc still nom
. inal1y such, remaining with their owners fron
; interest or affection, do much as they please
!; aud are less slaves than their masters. Til
l strength Of the system is broken, too thor
r oughly to be ever again revived. Not onl
$ the negroes, but the planters also, know this
: The latter dare not punish the former for an
negligence or disoGedience, for they know no
S how soon they may be at their mercy. 4 rea
l
t more than one planter in this county hi
5 house, lis barns, his cotton-gin, and ever
G movable thing about his premises. The table
c are completely turned, and now masters liy
|. iu daily fear Of their slaves. They see no.
), that they are Il practical curse, "come hon
:. 10 roost," producing nothing and eonsunlir
.s everything, Dcstitution and want stare I'll
IL I we:.lthiest in the face What the army h1
t spared the negroes have taken, and now thes
!, arc men With 4 thousand acres Of land VII
$, thing 10 cat and to wear. These are not III
,t agiuary or hearsay stories, bnt facts With
IT lily own knowledge. Facts sterl, and terribl
results Of secession, sweet to the taste, bl
bitter to the palate.
p. Could those who are forever pratips abo1
: the pon-yitality of the emancipation procl
=. "a nation, transport themselves DixicWard-
II where many of them bclong-aud talk, as
t have done, with planters and Confederate Of
at GERS, possibly eyen thsy might be led to 2 Z d
NJ NJ vitality far beyond the expectations Of i
~ ~ warmcst adnlircrs-a vitality which tho
A. who have been Or are in the slave regions, e
-, fully understand and appreciate. Already :
no 1c sec in it the fear which it has inspired. n
~ ~ acts of the war, not even our completes
~ - most overwhelming victories, have flied the
L., L. with such mortal terror They know that
y is :, death blow to their hopes, to their ms
-. ~ tuition and to their would be Con1ederaey.
~. single instance, Of the many could cnun,'
Il WILL N@A4AS+4aNAAeS eAAS ANe3A W Ae3 E~-
~ Mcnt.
:; Souc time since, a flag Of truce came will
~ out lines from Little Rock under the charge
,ts Il number Of prominent officers, among ths
~ ~ CLARITY, Adjutant General Oh Gen. Haw
;n., ;n s1atT, Captain NJ Culloeh, nephew Of {
.ne - Ben, Lieut.. Walton, q former law partner
~ Hon. A. ]. Hamilton, and others, With IN
IA officers had numerous conversations, durl
@ m tleir stay, and all Of them had some thing
V4ls n-c
~, tiUn they lcnouncedit it as cruel and barbara
to9 " and certain to lead to seryilc insurrecti
,s5 Col. Carter acknowledged that to guard u
dsr 49, slaves they must withdraw portion Of til
,;rit soldiers in The field. and thus weaken ths
a;s- selyes when and where We We're stEongt
Es;+n Lieut.. Walton, however, Was most trout
~ - about it. He even went so fur as to tell b
r;oi the State Of Texas hoped 10 avert the eff
- J ~ Of it.. Patrols had been established thron
,sw out the entire State, and the organization
NOD Of outbreak on the part Of the Slaves, cy
If male slave in the infected regions woult
y ntr ~ murdered. All these arrangements have
W perfected, without any suspicion
" knowledge Of them on the part
tllc last item, beg leave to be someV
doubtful. This il Gut sample Of their
versation. Never word did they say I'll
The there being 10 vitality in the procla1nat
and They candidly acknowledge, on the CONT
= that II WOuld prove "a fe:tf1ui blOW 10 Il
~ ~ and it was doubtful if, with all their pre-
Tic tianary measures, they could avert its nat
ion effect.
On Friday night, Colonel Gricrson, Of
9Th Illinois cavalry, with 640 picked cav
reached this place with dispatches from
-, eral Grant. The latter was left ut OSfor
w.: III swift pursuit Of the flying rebels. Col
Il OF Grierson made a rapid march, and at
this water surprised Il rebel camp, conp1'
n as routing the whole force, killing o nun
twas taking some thirty prisoners, sixty or sey
nnes horses, destroying their whole train, and
dls- turing their entire camp equipage. The
ines onel left the larger portion Of his force at
;c;,,. point and came through with seventy
men. It was a daring trip and success
:lnec accomplished. Last night the Colonel $
East ed On Lis return, and if he shall be rs sue
ngle full as in coming We shall nc, longer ha'
~ yicld in daring, dashing cavalry raids tt
enemy The expedition Of Washburu
'1blc, not been excelled, and this ono of Grit
IS to will not fall far behind amy on record
,v In All quiet here now. Occasionally a
mi5h; occasionally q few prisoners brc
own in; occasionally few Of our pickets ca
| has cd. Last night rather larger haul than
lost was made, fwentF-siS Of our piekcts, be
,,,oos ing to thc 9Th Missouri cavalry, were, t,
III expressive but homely phrase, tsgo
in Of up.'' The weather is warm aud rainy
like ours in May. The dampncss colnpe
q thc to have fires, and fires make us uncomfor
warm. The roads are muddv-haye