The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-04-18
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of Jacksonville, Fla, and stealing some
mules and cotton in that vicinity The
finale of that expedition, however, shows it
to have been one of the most cruel and
dastardly affairs of the present war. The
district of Florida, in which Jacksonville
is Cor rather ,easl located, is (was) strongly
tipctured with Union sentiments among
she people, and rassuranceslwere given
them that the object in sending the
two negro regiments and two white regi-
ments there was to occupy the place per-
manently, and give the Union inhabitants
protection. Accordingly they gave the
soldiers a cordial reception, and aided
them in every way, thus incurring the
deepest and deadllest hostility Of the
rebels The expedition remained and
"depredated" ahouta lew weeks, and was /
then suddenly ordered back to Port Royal !
by Gen. Hunter, not only leaving the peo !
pie Of Jacksonville at the mercy OF the
rebels whose intense hatred they had in-
Cured by befriendins the Unionists, but
even refusing to take many OF the inhabi-
tants with them, to whom to remain was
sure torture and death And this was not
all-the low itself, owned by these friend
" Union men, was laid in ruins ! Here is
what the N. Y. TriJu,e's correspondent
says on that subject
Jack sonville is in ruins. That beauti-
! full city which has been Tor 50 many years
! the favorite resort for invalids from the
! North, has, to day, been burned tn the
| ground, and, what is sad to record, 10y tue
! soldiers Of the national army. Scarcely n
! mansion, n cottage, n negro hut, or ware
house remains. The long lines Of nagnif.
sent oaks, green and beautiful, with the
| thickest foliage, the orange groves per
! tuning the air with their blossoms, the
sycamores, the old century plants adorn.
| ing every garden, the palmetto and bayo'
| net trees ever tropical In venure the
| rose aud the jassan,ine-ail that at this
season, indeed | might say through all
| seasons has made Jack sonvlle a little
| Eden, has been burned and scorcied, and
crIsped if not entirely consumed TO ashes,
by the devouring flames.
! The correspondent Of the y. y Post,
another abolition print, commenting on
the affair, says .s -
I lfGen. Hunter had desired to do tho State
of Florida and the cause OF freedom and
/ Union in the South the greatest injury
if he wished TO paralyze the patriotism
and destroy the LOYALTY of the people, and
| blight the hopes OF the State, he could not
| have adopted course more certain OF
| success than the one ne has adopted from
the first in regard to this State. Tins IS
now the third time that the people nave
-, al nj II.
placed AT the mercy Of the common enc
nv. Now this rface-the best and most
! fiourishing town IN East Florida, and the
: only place whose citizens and property
| holders were generally loyai-has been
Irretreyabiy ruined, and It's people scat
tered abroad without homes or means Of
. subsistence.
Many loyal citizens further up the river,
being assured of protection, have rendered
service, and so identified themselves with
/ the Union cause as 10 OUTLAW them with
the rebels, and aye noy abandoned TO
their tender nercies God save the coun-
try and the cause where such things are
done IN its name and 10y It's friends
But let justice be done to the negroes
Although black IN visage, their hearts
were not black enough for the atrocity OF
burning that beautiful town. It was only
among the abolition regiments OF Con
necticut that men of such dye could be
found. countenanced and encouraged, as
the Post corresp ndent intimates, by Col
Higginson, of Kansas notorie'y Col
Montgomery and Col Rust" he says,
both did all that could be done to mti-
gate the evils of the occasion, and regret
that unnecessary suffering should be thus
inflicted, and Col Higginson was the last
person from whom | expected It.
CHARLEsrox-It is an easy matter ia
criticise military operations, as is Ell
denced by the report Of the Conduct OF
the War committee But We should like to
see some satisfactory answerto the following
criticism of the Times on the attack upon
Charleston easel ....s
The result at Charles ton is not different
from what mght have been expected.
When the intelligence came that Gen
Hunter had driven Gen Foster and his
officers from tine department; had dis
patched his negro expedition to FLORIDA,
and was wasting time on his experiments
E with black soldiers, We predicted Mat
Beauregard would improve the time u 50
, BILE. The attack upon Charleston has Keen
proclaimed and delayed for mon this. " e
r have challenged them to every preparation
, and defence, and yaunted the l6pfegna-
Lility OF our iron clads The attack, has
been SO long delayed that we have now
little hope OF success should 1t be again re
newed
! If it was not intended to make th e
/. assault Immediately upon the arrival 81
, Gen. Fosters army. his forces shout
have been left with him in the vicinity q
!; Newbern Their withdrawal his ernoar
J rassed Hunter, by giving him more me'
i than he knew how 10 manage. and has
: left Foster in difficulties which threaten
1 the capture of himself and forces. In The
D attacks thus far made we hear nothing
from Gen. Hunter There is report thai
, he is getting in the enemy rear. Wi i'll
f his forces, and those which were undel
v Gen Foster, combined why Is it that m
e land attack made, occupying the at
e teuton of some OF the forts and hatterie:
I which poured such murderous fire upot
1 the iron clads ? We d.ubt not the i'm
!, possibility of making land attack will b.
9 shown in due time file specific points
committee can explain the necessity 0
transferring the furces of Foster to Hun
l. ter, although no land attack was conteni
plated If it was contemplated, why wa
it not made? After months of prepara
ton and Boosting. we are beaten OIL, ant
e from no intelligence yet received does ]
!, appear that the army of Gen Hunter ha
y been Of any more assistance in the attacl
e than if they had been in Timbuctoo. TIL
n failure is not to he charged to the navy
It 1t has done all it could do. We will SCI
where the responsibility will be charges
T. by the administration and its partisans.
v SACRIFICES OF REBEL-Gea. Pillow thu