Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-12-30

eoial C-oresnondenoa of he MsmphIs AppeaLl

6FNN-e ON%-NoENLL~+
RIcHMoSD, December 90, 1eoaE
We have the bitterost day Of the winter. The Their
mometer at A. NJ. marked twenty-oue degrees Of fahren-
hei ard it has been freezing hard on the northern side
Of the streets ali day. The sun shines out magnifcentiy,
and de atmosphere Is unusually clear, but so little heat
sssms to be given out by the solar ray that ice in the
standing pools does not soften under it at all. Three
days continuance Of the present temperature viii block
up all the rivers ia Virginia. Ten days ago the Potomac
was frozen to the thickness Of an inch and a half, and
would have been closed by one night more Of the same
severity Of the sth and 9th Of the month. Perhaps if #
should beqhut by Jack Frost now, the consequences to
Burnside would be even more disastrous than were then
threatened
For. so far IS we can loarn the present position Of his
dsmoraHzed army. he has moved down the Rappahan-
mock as far as Port Royal. He ID therefore several
miles further OF, by excessively bad roads, from his
daily supplies, in case Of the suspension Of navigation
on the Potomac. The idea prevails that he Il about to
make another attempt to move upon Richmond from
that direction, and it has been stated tina, a large force
has actually crossed the river a second time some miles
below Frederioksburg. But 1 cannot entertain the belief
that be will do any such thing. I1deedit may be doubted
II his troops could be induced to march again upon our
lines along the hills Of Carolina and Spot ylvania. The
prisoners we have taken cry out with one voice against
Burnside, and swear that little Mac" would never
have led them into such a "slsughterpen." 1t turns
out, however, that Burnside didn't lead them into it.
That able general was on the Stafford side Of the river
throughout the day, surveying the beld with his lorgnette
from the top Of Phil ips' house, a place Of safety from
which, In case Of necessity, he might easily have made
good his retreat. There is one striking pointo Of dissimi-
larity between the battle Of Fredericksburg aud ell ;he
other engagements Of the war. in this, that heretofore
the Yankees have always stood behind their breast
works aad awaited our attack, while on Saturday last,
for the first time, they made a determined effort to carry
our positions. Things were exactly reversed. There
is all the difference in the world, as the Yankees disoov-
cred - their oo~t. hafrvean defending and CHARGING a bat.
terry. Doring the seven days Of June and July,
from the opening % the long, bloody fight
upon the nights Of Aechanicsville, TO the evening
of the terrible carnage OF Malvern Hill, the Confederate
troops were engaged all the while in just such work as
the forces Of Burnside attempted on the Rappahannock.
The Confederatss sarried every position triumphantly
b.t the lat while the Yankees wsrs repulsed upon
every point. Gen. Lees lines were very strong, it is
true, bat my deliberate opinion Is that II the Yankees
had hsld the hills, and the ConfodsrAies under Ice,
Jackson and Longstreet had advanced across the plain,
the latter would have taken every gun, though doubt
lees at an immense sacrifice Of human life. Let US re-
joiee that they were not called upon to do it. The
NohLAsAA papers aE O FeAT Eo0A buAAoaa VI SonNtd--
ing the completeness Of their defeat il long and unin-
telllgible accounts Of the fighting. They would not
deceive Europe, however. if their correspondence and
the dispatches of their generals had been ever SO skill
fully worded, for Mr.. Lewley, who writes letters TO the
London Times, and Mr viziteliy, the travelling artist Of
the London Illustrated Naos, ware both on the ground
and viii a true story narrate of the days proceedings.
Tbs aceopnts from Norfolk OF the Yankes tyranny es-
tablished there, arc as ludierous as they are incredible
Gen. Dix appears to be desirous Of disabusing the peo-
pie Of virginia Of ths impression they had formed OF
him, as : comparatively lenient and well disposed ty-
rsat, who wished TO employ no unnecessary severity in
carrying out the will of his brutal master, for his recent
ediets would do no discredit to Best Butler himself
They are soen to enact the farcs Of holding q Congress-
ional election in Norfolk, and Gen Dix Informs the good
citizens Of the town that all who will not vote shall be
considered as already convicted Of d~isioyalty, subject to
imprisonment aad the immediate oonAscstion of all their
property. No eompulsion, only you must. What Z bit
ter satire is here upon the detested government OF the
degraded United States In ordering this election, it Is
verify Of note that Gen. Dix has abolished all the time
honored usagss snd statutory regulations in Virginia in
the matter Of the existence Of Suffrage. Instead Of viua
uoss voting, the good, honest, old fashion of the Did Do
minion, founded upon The excellent doctrine that a man
who is aIhamed or afraid to ayow before the world how
he votes, ought not to be permitted to vote at all, Gen.
Dix has introduced the meRking Yankee node Of secret
ballot. There il more In this than meets tao eye. Two
things viii be accomplished by it most conveniently.
One is a large vote upon paper, by filing the ballot
boxes with the tickets Of two or three thousand imsgin-
airy voters, and thus laying the basis Of a t~humFing lie
about the numbe Of loyal Union men in Virginia, and
the other is the screening from the just repfobsion Of
their felov-citlzsrs the few rssealiy supporters Of Lin
that really live at Portsmouth, ren ike Joseph Le-
gar, Of Hampton, who was told tbs other day on the
fosro Of the house Of Representatives, at Washington, by
a New England member, that he had a good deal to say
for q man that represented twenty. Eve constituents II
the wretch had not long since lost all s%ensibniiy, how be
must have WINGED under SO eontemptuous a rebuke com
ing from such a quarter.
The Yankee cavalry have made raid into Gloucester
county, committing the most Internal optrages wher-
ever they went, ~pilaging the houses, burning Tho gath
cred crops, ' olating the women, and carrying Of non
eombstant prisoners. Among the latter was Hr. John
T. SeSyvell, al eminent lawyer and member Of the last
VfrEinia convent on, and young Montague Tucker, Il
youth of sixteen. sAn q the late Jcdge Beverly Tucker,
author Of the % Partisan Leader" Every day these
eoWardly rufinns become more and more fsndish in
gesnco 20 be gathered yet in Pennsylvania before the
war is over The next visit our cavalry mako to that
State, they may not be 20 careful how they interfere
with private property or alarm the teRder-heREied vii
layers Of ChsmbersbUg
We have he gratifying intelligence Of tbs safe arrival
in Oh rleston Of two steamers from Nassau, with valua-
bic cargoes. DIXIE