Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-05-15
MUsCATINEs IOWA FRIDAY. MAY Is, 2@"%
ICorrsepondencs of the Daily Journal
FROM WASHINGTON.

Correspondence of the Daily Journal
FROM WASHINGTON.
The Rumors from Hooker-An Ercited
Capitol- Gen. Warren's 2riumphan
| V,ndication, etc, etc. ~ ~ -.tt
WASHINGTON, May 4, 1868.
j Some newspaper chap has said that this city
meteorologically considered, is a sort o
Jacobs ladder, being constantly assembled BY
the dust, or descended by the rain. accep
the amendment. We have had clouds of dus
for about week. This morning it rains
and Pennsylvania Avenue, except where the
contrabands have cleaned it, is slushy enough
The rain has probably been brought on by
the cannonading at and near Fredericksburg.
| It is well known that the conclusions of the
atmosphere caused by artillery, or even heavy
musketry firing, bring on rains. Hence all
great battles have been either wholly or in
part fought during rain storms. Hooker has
been engaged with Lee for two or three days.
How generally, no one outside of q select cir
Gle at the War Department, knows, or pre-
tends to know. Heavy cannonading in the
rear Of Fredericksburg has been heard at Fal-
mouth, since early on Friday afternoon. That
is all the public here know about ''the situa-
tom of Hooker's main command. And dear
ly beloved reader, just between you and me,
and the gate post, 1 don't believe any body,
not even Halleck, not even Stanton, not even
the President himself, knows any more about
what Hooker has been doing for two days, or
is doing now, than the man in the moon. By
splendid movement, at once rapid and on all
points successful, he hurled his vast army
around the flank of the enemy, and beyond
direct communication with the circumlocution
Offices Of the capital. He is not the man to
send off hicockelorum dispatches from the
field of BATTLE" before he even knows how
things have really gone, even if he had
telegraph Office at his elbow. He doesn't
believe in the strategical accomplishment Of
fighting battles per telegraph anyhow. Hence
we cannot now fall back for knowledge on the
reserve corps at the War Department, but
must, of necessity cavort around loose, -four
ishing our banners inscribed with the glorious
and consolatary words: ''Where ignorance is
bliss, tits folly to be wise."
But the trouble is, Pope lied like bulletin
when he penned that line (our General Of
that name must have descended from him,
somehow and, in spite of the ignorance so
blissful, this city is, to use the expression Of
Dixon, fretting its everlasting gizzard terri
bly,. 1t is as full Of rumors as hen is of
meat-I mean hens egg. Good reports and
bad reports; reports that Hooker is gobbling
up prisoners by the thousands and that whole
DIVISIONS of his army have been cut to pieces
by drunken rebels; a report that Gen. Slo-
cum was killed, soon silenced by the report
that it was a secession lie; a report that
Sedgwick's corps had stormed the works of
Fredericksburg, captured thirty eight guns,
and thousand prisoners, with the loss of a
thousand brave Union boys in killed and
wounded, and that he had then sent his corps
off on the double quick to reinforce Hooker;
a report that for forty eight hours at stretch,
the President, Stanton, and Halleck were al
ternately telegraphing Hooker to know the
and were finally gratifed with the
pleasing announcement that, ''having filled
all his requisi,ions, they would be pleased to
know he was attending to his own job down
there, and didn't want any of their DID orders!'
which, though not very bad, was silenced by
the reflection that fighting Joe could at that
juncture more easily telegraph Richmond
the big rumors that have been flying about
the city for three days. The hotels are crowd
ed to-day, citizens in anxious mood stand in
crowds under umbrellas near the places Of
public resort, and tell each other this story,
that, and the other, till body is lost amid
the maze and fog of contradictory, absurd,
and nonsensical canards. never saw the
city more excited. The extent Of my know-
edge is simply this: about twenty.one hun
dred rebel prisoners have reached this city
within the past four days, almost all from the
Army of the Potomac. What has actually
transpired you will know before this shall be
printed.
Nearly two years ago, Gen. Fitz Henry
Warren being then associate editor of the
New York Tribune, Gen. Schuyler Hamilton
walked into the Office here, one evening, and
complained Of telegram which had appear
ed in that then stif-backed paper. He was
quite abusive generally, and wound up a TRADE
of bilingsgate with the remark, accompanied
by big oath, shat no gentleman was con-
nected with the press anyhow Whereup-
on Warren, who had really had nothing to do |
with the telegram complained Of, started to
his feet, and most emphatically informed Gen.
Hamilton ''that no man, with or without
epauletts, should so speak of profession to
which he belonged" Hamilton subsidized,
collapsed, and evacuated Flanders speedily
The next heard of him was his sending our
glorious Iowa I'd from their quarters in St.
Louis to the landing, under disgrace, with
eolors cased, and without music, on lying
charge that some of its members had stolen
dead rabbit, or something, from some seces-
sionist's curiosity shop. (The next heard
of the regiment it was storming the works of
Donelson.) Well, this Gen. Hamilton is a
brother-in-law of Halleck, and they put their
heads to work to ruin Gen. w Warren Charges
were trumped up against him, of fraud in the
pay-rolls of the First Iowa Cavalry, of which
splendid regiment, it will be remembered,
Warren was Colonel. Warren demanded in
vestigation over and over again, and at last
was ordered here on this business Judge
Advocate General Holt examined the case
from first to- last. giving to it as thorough an
investigation as any case ever had, and found
the charges to be utterly and entirely ground
less. So much so that on the 30th ult., Ma
tional Fast Day though it was, Asst. Adjt.
Gen. Townsend addressed letter to Gen.
Warren, of which the following is the COM
mencing paragraph: f-l- e
g. l am directed by the Secretary of War.
to inform you that your case has been referred
to the Judge Advocate General, who, alter
examination, reports in your .fauor upon all
the matters alleged against you. This report
is approved by the Secretary of War, and by
the President; the charges are dismissed, and
you are exonerated therefrom.'' Nothing
could be more conclusive than this. rejoice
in common with all men who recognize in