Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-04-25
OUR MILITARY BUDGET.
NOT RELIEVED.


received In the battle Of Fort Henry) Commodore
Foote has been relieved from his command In our
western waters
II 10 untrue. He has, however, applied to be so
relieved, but the Department being unwilling to
dispense with his 90 important services just now
In that quarter, have ordered Capt Charles II.
Davis, one OF the first and most efncient ofacers
of the service, to repair TO the squadron a. his
second In command; thus relieving him from
much of the physical labor Of his responsible
position without endangering the success Of our
naval operations In that quarter by Withdrawing
the supervision Of his active and able mind from
them even for day.
THE MERRIMAc.
The reports from the Merrimac published In
one Of the Stars kilograms yesterday can hardly
be true. Viz: That she Is now being, or has
been, covered with iron plates three feet lower
than she was before. To explode this story IL Is
only necessary to remark that plates three inches
thick and three feet wide, and Of the length
necessary, provided they have them on hand In
Norfolk, which they have not,) will weigh lin
rough estimate) about liz tens; that she would
have to be In the dry dock for at least four weeks
ere they could be put on; that II would require
force OF 200 men to do the work In that time that
after II was done she would draw at least one
foot more water than at present, and that this
would very materially interfere with the work
ing Of her casema.e guns, rendering them prac-
tically Ineffective.
THEIR FoRTIFicATIoNs.
II IL doubtless true that the rebels are construct
ing two interior lines of fortifcation immediate.
ly in the rear Of their Yorktown works, in front
Of which Gen. McClellan's army IL now in posi-.
ton. The expedient OF such supplemental interior
lines Of defense 10 by no means untried one,
though, we believe 1t has invariably failed Tin the
history of modern warfare) after main ffont line
Of Notifications have been taken There exists
no sound reason for believing that II may succeed
in this case; more especially as II driven from
their front works the description Of troops-mili.
tia-now composing more than half the rebel
forces on the peninsula may not possibly be ex-
Pected to rally to the proper defense Of another
line.
TO EABALa THE DEAD.
special order has been just Issued from the
War Department, comforting upon Drs Brown
and Alexander, and such assistant surgeons as
they may appoint, the right to embalm the dead
ofthe U. 5. Army, anywhere within the lines,
either in camp or on the field, and to follow I'D
the advance Of the land forces Their remunera.
ton will come from the friends OF the deceased
DISMISSED THE SERVICE.
War Department, Adj't Generals OHes,l
Washington, April Is, 1862. 5
General Orders, No. AZ.
l. BY direction Of the President, Brigade Sur
geon J. Fl. Thompson, United States Volunteers,
is hereby dismissed the service as an alarmist on
the recommendation Of his Commanding Gen
eral, Major General Burnside.
2. On the recommendation Of Brigadier Gen.
al Ss1r nd
approved by Major General Mcclellan, com.
handing the Army of the Potomac, Major Van
Steinhaus, Capt. Botticher, and Capt. Camp, SSth
Regiment Of New York Volunteers; Lieut. Lom-
bard, Battalion Adjutant, 9Th Illinois Cavalry;
and Assistant Surgeon Williams, LIST New York
Artillery, are, by direction Ct the President,
stricken from the rolls Of the Army, for being
captured by the enemy while struggling without
authority beyond the outposts Of the ARMY,
March 90, 1862.
8 The headquarters Of Lieut. Colonel William
Hoffman, Sth infantry, Commissary General Of
Prisoners, 10 transferred from New York city to
Detroit, Michigan.
4. The attention OF officers empowered by law
to assemble General Courts Martial is directed TO
the Regulations, paragraphs s96 and s97, relative
10 forwarding the proceedings Of such court,
with their action endorsed on each case and a
copy Of the order promulgating the proceed nss,
promptly, to the Judge Advocate Of the Army, al
Washington. Much embarrassment 10 occasioned
to the War Department by failure to comply
with these regulations, which must be at once
remedied wherever they have been neglected.
By order Of the Secretary OF War:
l.. THOMAS, AdJutant General
"DIssUsTED" WITH JErF's "NAMsY-pAMBY GOV.
TT
The following letter was found amongst the
cur!osi.ies picked up by the men Of our fotilla
on their late trip up the Rappahannock The
writer Is young Thomas b. Roane, Of Tappa.
hanncck, captain in the rebel army:
TAPPAHANNocK. March 81, 1862.
Dear II did not receive your letter
of the 18th ult until about the 2stb, and then 4
was lying on bed of sickness, ct camp. have
had very severe attack Of deep. seated cold and
Inflammation Of the stomach, from which have
not vet recovered. IL was three weeks wedpes.
day last since did any duty, and 1t will be
fortnight now before I will be at for camp.
Young A. b. Garrett, In our troop, is diving I
fear. with typhoid fever, the consequence Of ex-
posure aud hard duty. broug ht on nv attack
Company has for the last four or Ave month, done
the duty of three troops. We now have line of
vidette couriers from the lower end Of Middlesex
to Fredericksburg, distance Of 100 mills; be-
SIDES we have three pests at Urbanna, and a
picket station y miles below-the damn,dest
place On earth. All me, we have seen the very
devil since October,
You are mistaken In supposing your friends
have ceased TO care for you. We are constantly
thinking OF you. and poor old grandma Is ever
wondering how she can get such and such things
to spencer and "Pennie." 1 have never failed
to answer any letter, and replied to your last as
soon as | was able TO nse pen, for was sick
abed nearly a fortnight, and have only been here
some mine days. I through mistake directed
your letter tG Fredericksburg, and there II is-a
real jav-buster.
Your Internal, cowsrdly army ara continually
backing, backing. and backing down, "a until,
by damn, believe YOU will not stop short of the
territory line, and there, you triH capituLats I
never know where to write to. I reckon Rich
mond IL the safest place and srrest direction for
all letters now. When will your brigade reach
Richmond. But In earnest, where does the army
Of Manassas expect to take anal stand! frm-
ly believe Virginia and Tennessee ave to be given
up without one effort at defence. Judge, am
disgus,ed with our mainly panaby gorsrnx,ent--
eternally retreating and acting on the defensive,
like one man holding up his arms whilst another
cowhides him right and left.
CLKvELAsD THE JAYHAwkER.-A party Of the