The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-07-27


cations He says the need for them is
pressing. The Charleston Courier thinks
the city is in Imminent peril, and to save
it the Yankees must be driven off Nor
ris' Island From an editorial in that
paper on the situation, We make the
following extracts:
1.-The fall of Charleston involves con-
sequences which we shudder to contem-
plate With her capture the Uh0le State
lcould soon be at the mercy of the foe,
and the great cause Of Southern indie
pendence aoould be put in fearful .jeop-
ardy Nothing but a guerrilla warfare
for the southern and southwestern por-
ton of the Confederacy, if not for its
whole extent, would then be left US, in
manifestation of our un6ying and I'M
conquerable determination never to SUBJ
nit to Yankee rule Let us, then, re-
solve to defend our beloved and time
honored city to the last extremity. First
let us make every possible human effort
to wrest the adjacent islands from the
enemy, and enable Sumter and our 9th
er harbor fortresses, with our steam rams
to keep the vandals at bay.
ter become untenable, then let as resolUe
on a Saragossa defense of our city, man
ming and defending erery schnJ-.tfght-
ing from street to street and house to
! hOuSe-and, if failing to achieve success,
yielding nothing but smoking ruins and
mangled bodies as the spoil of the ruth
less conquerer Should Charleston fall,
life will no longer be worth living for
let US then freely peril life in her defense,
/ and resolutely devote her to destruction
sooner than yield her undemolished, as a
trophy and Furnishing seaport, to the
accursed foe. We once advocated DIFF
ferent poiicy-we were once for capitu-
lation, in preference 10 self-sought or
selfinficted desolation. But we then
mistakenly thought we had to encounter
an enemy bound by the rules of civilized
warfare, The mask is now thrown aside
New Orleans, Nashville and Memphis
have taught us what we have to expect
from the tender mercieS of our unprinci-
pied foe, and We know that our subjuga-
tiOn involves submission to a vile and
atrocious despotism, to worse than saw
age barbarities, to degradation and insult
(sparing neither age, sex nor condition, J
and to the CALLING infamy of servile dom
ination. Let US, then, bid destruction
and determination welcome sooner than
succomb to Yankee dominion and all its
nameless enormities and if Charleston
must fall, let her, although in ruin, YET
live as the most glorious monument OF
self-defense ever recorded in history, GOV.
ering her defenders with immortal glory,
and her Vandal conquerers with undying
infamy."
From the Richmond Sentinel, July 18th.
AN ORGANIZED BAND OF DEsERTERs IN DIN
wIpDIE COUNTY, VA.
Provost Marshal HAYES received in
telligenee day or two since of the ex
istence of one or more bands of organ
lied and armed deserters in Dinwiddie
county. As a Confederate officer, be
dispatched detachment of men-some
ten or twelve in number-to the neigh
borhood in which the deserters were sup
posed to be concealed. Several houses
were visited and examined, when the
detachment arrived in front of Mr. Arm
strong's premises, about ten miles from
the city. Here pickets were thrown on
around the buildings to prevent any
egress.
The Messrs. Armstrong, when they
saw the soldiers approach, Immediately
left their fields and came to the house
In the meantime the officer commanding
the guard had summoned two negroes il
the employ of the Armstrong;, for the
purpose of taking them away and ques
| 81 IL -
the deserters. This proceeding was
strenuously resisted by Mr.. VIM. Arm
strong, who swore that if any question.
were put they must be asked in his pres
ence The officer and the guard boil
argued with this man, but to no effect
1t was also discovered that he was armed
with Colts revolver.
The guard who were not on picket, a
once threw down their arms, and seizeC
the man to disarm him, and while don;
this they were attacked by old Arm
strong and another son-who is dea
mute The old man was armed with
heavy cane, and the son with an axe
which, unfortunately he used with SOM
effect Pompey Lawson, a member o
the sd Virginia regiment, received sc
we're blow across the mouth, which loos
ened several of his teeth while Nj
Spain was dreadfully cut across the LEI
shoulder But the guards soon manage,
to regain their guns, and in order to de
fend themselves were compelled to fir
upon the aggressors. William Arm
strong received bayonet wound throug
the breast, and ball through his RICH
eye, which instantly killed him. Hi
brother, the deaf mute, who handled tn
axe with such force, received bal
through his groin, which will probabl
prove fatal
The old man was knocked to tn
ground with the butt of musket Hay
Ing thus overcome these men, the guar
proceeded to search the premises, an
though finding no deserters, they foun
signs and preparations which led ther
to believe that the Armstrong; eithe
harbored or received them from time t
time.
The Messrs Armstrong are Northern
ers by birth, as also, we understand, ar
most of the gang of deserters, some fl
teen or eighteen in number, who hinge
around in their neighborhood. 1t
also stated that there are other familie
in the same vicinity who claim the sam
birthplace, and who are believed to b
aware of the movements of these deser