Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-12-25

Was formally seized by the custom authorities
at Glasgow, by order of the Lord Advocate OF
| Scotland
WASHINGTON, Dec. g.
The Speaker Of the House has re-appointed
| Representative Cox one of the Regents Of
the Smithsonian Institute, and Davis of Mo-,
and Patterson of N. H Regentsin the places
of Colfax and Mcpherson.
| CAIRO, Dec. 23
The steamer Atlantic, from New Orleans,
arrived this morning with cargo Of sugar,
molasses, &c, for Louisville. She put off &C
hogsheads of sugar at this port, and furnishes
New Orleans dates to the evening of the 10Th
The Sunshine had also arrived, from New
Orleans 10th. While woodng up about fifty
miles above Memphis, a party of five armed
guerrillas boarded her, inquired if the boat
belonged to the Government, what she was
loaded with, &c. They represented that they
had force of 100 more back from the river.
When the boat paid the woodman for wood
the guerrillas took the money from him and
left, when the boat showed out. e,-
The steamer Platte Valley, from Memphis,
arrived this morning. Memphis papers OF
Sunday evening report the rebels in large
force in the vicinity of Natchez, but thus far
refrain ed from making any attack upon our
entertainments.
| Some days since party of our cavalry
surprised 20 rebel cavalrymen in that vicini-
ty. They afterwards joined our cavalry with.
out hesitation. A day or two after this 80
more rebels came in and gave themselves up,
saying they were tired of the rebel service
| Mobile papers say that the Legislature of
Alabama has voted all the beautiful carpet in
the Capital building at Montgomery to the
soldiers for blanketing.
| WASHINGTON, Dec. %.
Gen. McClellan's report was transmitted
to the House to-day. 1t consists of 765
He concludes as follows:
III shall not nor can [ forget that when
was ordered to command of troops for the
defense of the capital, the soldiers with whom
l had shared so much anxiety and pains and
suffering of the war had not lost their con-
| fdence in me as their commander; they
sprang to my call with all their vigor, dis
cipline and courage. I led them into Mary
land, fifteen days after they had fallen back,
defeated, before Washington, vanquished the
enemy on the rugged heights of South Noun
tain, pursued him to the hard fought field Of
Antietam and drove him, broken and dis.
pirited, across the Potomac into Virginia =
The army had need of rest after the terrible
experience of battles and marches, with
scarcely an interval of repose, which they
had gone through, from the time of leaving
for the Peninsula, the return to Washington.
the defeat in Virginia, the victory at South
Mountain, and again at Antetam, and it was
not surprising that they were in large de-
gree destitute of the absolute necessities to
effective duty. Their shoes were worn out,
blankets lost, clothing in rags; in short, the
army was unfit for active service, and an in
terval for rest and equipments was necessary.
When the slowly forwarded supplies came to
us led the army across the river renovated,
refreshed and in good order and discipline,
and followed the retreating foe to a position
where | was confident of decisive victory,
when in the midst of the movement, and
while my advance guard was actually in con-
dact with the enemy was removed from
command. l own devout gratitude to God
that my last compaign with this brave army
was crowned with victory, which saved the
nation from the greatest peril it had ever un-
dergone. have not accomplished my pur-
pose if by this report the army of the Poto-
mac is not placed high on the roll of the his
tory of the armies of the world. It's deeds
ennoble the nation to which it belongs, al
ways ready for battle, firm, steadfast and
trustworthy. l never called on it in vain,
nor will the nation ever have cause to at
tribute its want of success, under myself or
under any other commander, to any failure Of
patriotism or bravery in that noble body of
American soldiers. No man can Justly
charge upon any portion of that army, from
the commanding General to the private, any
lack of devotion to the service of the United
States Government 1t is the cause Of the
Constitution and the Union for which they
have proved their fealty, in much sorrow,
suffering, danger and through the very shadow
of death. Their comrades dead on all fields
where we have fought have scarcely more
claim to the honor of nations reverence
than the survivors to the justice as nations
gratitude"
The report covers the period from the 26th
of July, 1861. to November 18th, 1862.