Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-10-28
From Washington.
Correspondence of the State journal
w .Surxc-z,- n 4. n


Colonel Fairehild of the +" Veteran Second,
Is no" IN "asnlngton, on his way to the front,
10 take iare"eu leave of his regiment
Yesterday, he had an interview with the
PRESIDENT, when he expressed his determine.
ton to resign his commission in tho arr,;r
order to render himself fully eligible to tba
office for which he is a candidate. and -
sured by the President that his resi,no+io.,
should be accepted. Ever since the hatt,o
OF Gettysburg, the President has contem.
plated promoting him to the commission of
Brigadier General, and is now determined
before accepting his resignation, to eonfAr
upon him the hono1s of the promotion a. an
Acknowledgements of his services. Consult
ing his own feelings only, Col. Fairchild would
much prefer to resume his command in the
army, but having accepted the nomination
rendered him on your State ticket, he is de-
termined to render himself every way eligi
bic to the Office, and~if elected (as he is sure
to be) will perform the duties of the office to
the best of his ability.
The 9Th Wisconsin, Col. Allen. nassed
through Washington last Saturday without
changing cars, with orders TO report To Gen
Meade, and before the penning OF this letter
is back on its old familiar battle ground in
the vicinity of Manassas, ready TO win new
laurels. This regiment, as most OF yourresd-
ers probably know, has been IN New \ ork for
the last two months, to render any services
that might be necessary IN executing the draft
in that State. A Michigan regiment, the Goth
| think, passed through at the same time to-
wards the front.
A new regiment, the Mcclellan Cavalry"
raised in New York, and numbering LOO
men, as | was told by one of then, arrived
here on Saturday evening and went into
camp. This regiment is yet unmounted, but
Will receive their horses here and commence
drilling immediately
There has been no excitement in Washing
ton-perhaps | ought rather to say apprehen-
sion-in consequence of the movements that
have been going on IN the front during the
past week. The utmost confidence in Gen.
Meade to maintain himself is felt by all, while
the more sanguine believe that he is prepar-
ing to give battle, but that is improbable.
Prisoners have been sent in every day from
the 'front.' all exhibiting the same signs of
want and restitution OF apparel, which char
acterizes the rebel army. Many of them ex-
press themselves as tired of the war, and
anxious IL take the oath of allegiance and
remain in the North, while others are as hope
| full and bOasttul as ever. About forty were
| brought in last night who belonged to Stew
arts cavalry. One Of them, quite an inteli-
gent Young man, who still believed that they
would succeed IN the end, told me that he
| belonged in North Carolina, that he left col
| Iege two years and a half ago to join the ar
| my, and acknowledged that there were good
many Union men in North Carolina, but ad-
| ded that they belonged to the lower classes.
| Governor Randall has been doing good ser
vice for the Union cause in Pennsylvania,
| and this week is going to New York TO help
| put down cOpperheadism in the Empire
| State.
The Commission appointed by Act of Con
| gress, approved June It'll 1862, to collect the
| direct tax in the district of Florida, of whom
| Harrison Reed, Esq. is one, is now in Wash
| ton for the purpose of making their report
| From perusal of it l permitted to con-
| dense the following information:
| The commission left Washington in Novem-
| Der, 1862 and arrived at FeTnandiua, Flori-
| da, on the 4th of January, '63, being detaln-
| ed some time in New York. Immediately
| upon their arrival at Feruandina they caused
| a survey and plat of the city TO be made as
| the basis for assessment. The city Ia place
| Of about 1900 inhabitants) contained some
thing over 8, 100 lots besides nearly 1000 OFT
lots. After giving public notice of the taxes
| levied and "A further notice OF the forfeiture
| of said lots in consequence of the n0u-pay-
ment of said taxes, they proceeded to sell
the same TO the highest bidder, according to
| the provisions of the act of Congress. T6S,
| or about one fourth of the whole number of
| lots, were thus sold to outside purchasers for
! the aggregate sum of SlO,35l.24, thirty-nine
| of which were purchased by the freed blacks.
| The remaining threetourths were bid in for
| want of purchasers, by the government, and
are used for hospitals, military cncampments,
| The Out-lots, containing from OF an acre to
| p acres each, to the number of 500, were
bid in for the government and are used un
der the direction OF the military authorities
by the freed blacks for their present homes.
This comprises the labors of the commission
at the town of Fernandina. They have also
surveyed, plated and assessed the city of st.
Augustine, and report that a considerable
portion" of the taxes thus assessed have been
paid, and the lots on which the taxes remain
unpaid have been forfeited TO the government
though not yet sold.
"Thus far" says the report, " the commits
sion have been circumscribed and confined
to narrow limits upon the border Of their field
of labor. Now that the State has been nearly
abandoned by the rebellious hordes who lately
infested it, and the rebellious city jackson
vilIe) which has so long absorbed the atten-
ton and resources of this Military Depart
ment, Is about TO meet the Just reward Of its
iniquity, and yield to the conquering arms of
the Republic, it is confdentially expected
that the district viii soon be occupied by our
forces so that our labors may be extended and
successfully prose uted through the State"
Viewed as a means of raising revenue, one
might, from the reading of the report, pro-
nounce the law perhaps failure,
though at the one city where it has thus far
boon carried into effect, the Commission col
Iected more than three times the amount Of
tax assessed. The Commissioners however,
are sanguine in the belief that as the army
advances and occupies the interior and heart
of the " insurrectionary district" that it may
not only become source of revenue TIC the
Treasury, but that it will people the rebellious
States with loyal population, by offering rare
inducements to the people Of the North and
East to settle there. MONTICELLO.
The Secret History Of the War-fI0re Of the
JEFF. Davis Correspondence.
The following is a copy of letter from
Mason of Virginia to JEFF. DAVIS, found in
the correspondence of the latter, recently