Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-10-29
From Washington.
rresponaense If the State Journal.

| Colonel Fairchild, of the "Veteran Second"
IS now IN Washington, on his way to the front,
70 take farewell leave of his regiment
yesterday, he had an interview with the
Freslaen', when he expressed his determine
ton to resign his commission in the army in
order to render himself fully eligible to the
| office for which he is candidate and rraso
sured by the President that his RESIGNATION
should be accepted. Ever since the battle
Of Gettysburg, the President has eontem.
plated promoting him to the commission of
a Brigadier General, and is now determined
before accepting his resignation, to confer
upon him the honors of the promotion as an
acknowledgement 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-
1ermined to render himself every way eligi-
BILE to the office, and if elected las he is sure
to be) will perform the duties of the office to
the best of his ability.
| The 9Th Wisconsin, Col. Allen, passed
| 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 your read
| ers probably know, has been in New York for
| the last two months, to render any services
| that might be necessary in executing the draft
| in that State. A Michigan regiment, the 26th
| l think, passed through st the same time to-
wards the front.
| A new regiment, the Mcclellan Cavalry
l-raised in New York, and numbering 200
men, as / was told by one of them, arrived
| here on Saturday evening and went into
| camp. This reg iment is yet unmounted, but
| will receive their horses here and commence
| drilling Immediately.
There has been no excitement in Washing
| ton-perhaps l ought rather to say apprehen-
| son-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 to take the oath of allegiance and
remain in the North, while others are as hope
full and boastful as ever About forty were
brought in last night who belonged to Stew
| arts cavalry. One of them, quite an intelli-
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
lege two years and half ago to join the ar
my, and acknowledged that there were a 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 18th 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 [ am permitted to con-
dense the following information
The commission left Washington in Noyem-
Der, 1862, and arrived at Fernandina, Flori-
da, on the 4th of January, '63, being detain-
ed some time in New York. Immediately
upon their arrival at Fernandina they caused
a survey and plat of the city to be made as
the basis for assessment. The city "a place
of about 200 inhabitants) contained some
thing over {, 100 lots besides nearly 900 out
lots. After giving public notice of the taxes
| levied and further notice OF the forfeiture
of said lots in consequence of the non-pay-
ment of said taxes, they proceeded to sell
the same to the highest bidder, according to
the provisions of the act Of Congress. 1853,
or about one fourth Of the whole number of
lots, were thus sold to outside purchasers for
the aggregate sum Of SIC, 351.24, thirty-nine
of which were purchased by the freed blacks
| NIn thrpa-f hS yUnrn For
want of purchasers, by the government, and
are used for hospitals, military encampments,
The out-lots, containing from { of an acre to
q acres each, to the number of 500, were
bid in for the government and are used I'm
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 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
| ville) 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 will soon be occupied By our
forces so that our labors may be extended and
| successfully prosecuted through the State"
| Viewed as a means of raising revenue, one
| might, from the reading of the report. pro-
| 10 lou M Ina q
| though at the one city where it has thus far
been carried into effect, the Commission col
| lected 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 tC 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-More of the
jeff. Davis Correspondence.
The following is copy Of letter from
MASON of Virginia to JEFF. DAVIS, found in
| the correspondence of the latter, recently
seized in Mississippi Observe that it was
| written in 1866, and that the South then con-
templated rebellion whenever they ceased to
control the Federal Government:
SELMA, Va, NEAR WISCHEsTER,l
Sept 80, 1855.
Ny DEAR SIR:
have letter from Wise of the 9th, full