The New York herald., 1863-08-17
0sr Baitimore corrsspondenes.

VS1 A0AsAsAOIO OEVOoPORUUmCos
a BALnnosx, August Is, 1868.
Ne1os from General Lees Aywy-He Has Received Thirty
TAousand Troops as Rsinforcemena-Hs q Drilling HIS
Ns0 yqAadrons Of Cavalry and batteries Of Artillery
Me .ShendndoaA Vailey-Rauimovs and OHIO RaiIroad,
dc, DC.
Your dispatches from tho headquarters Of tho Army OF
the Potomac contain accounts q the arrival at Gordons
vo OF rcnforcements for General Lees army from tho
South. My Information, at fault hitherto places
tho number OF these renfoSccments at thirty thousand
which makes General Lees present strength hundred
and tweaty -nve thousand troops. These all old
troops General Lee besides receiving conscrps,
which will soon swell his numbers to hundred and
nfty thousand. The main body OF this vast army Is
massed tho line OF tho Rapldan, with General Lees
headquarters Gordonsvie but the cavalry squad
rons arc bcing drilled and exercised In tho She
nandoah valley. IL would seem also that General
Leo IL organizing some now batteries OF artii.
cry; for artillery drills, with target practice, take
place daily at the points where these new cavalry
squadrons are being exercised The guns are brass
pieces and not new arc 50 bright that they look new
Shenandoah valley.
General Meade conceves and with reason that the ad
minstration Is putting him and keeping him In false
position, and ono in which he reap no iaurels. He
wishes TO tako Richmond. and believes no can do
But he wishes make the campaign by the proper route
and 10 be furnished with adequate means Of doing so
namely 200 900 troops by tho peninsula route To march
his $50 600 troops across tho he believes
The Bassmcre and Ohio Railroad has been doing an
business during tho last three days, the pas
sengsr trains being well nilcd. and tho freight trains
being crammcd to their utmost capacity. Tho accumua
ton freight - oSn oss me S ,0sa a
creased facilities for transportation and these are now In
full operation Tho road and bridges are now in excel
lent order There need bc no fear about sending resh.
over this road II Ia abundany guarded, and tho rad
road company besides guarantees oil goods against
military seizure.
Nose Frauds Upon shs war DsparsMens.
from the Phiadelpha Ledger, August l5.l
II stated few days since that frauds had been
pespetrated upon tho War Department by means or
forged pay rolls that had been arrested for
the commission Of the The persons charged
j. steele and Jacob Menkler the latter resident
Of this city steele was arrested In New York. through
the Efforts OF Major Kobort ~ Lee paymaser but Mcnk
cr arrested In this city, and upon tho confession OF
steele Both tho defendants sent 10 Fort lafayette
wors released rscsusy 70 take then trial ca The charge Of
forgery and fraud Mcnkler va, before Judge Cadwa.
Iader yesterday on writ o. habeas corpus asking for
his discharge be averrng that he had not anything 70 do
with tho orgercs and frauds which Steele has confessed
having psrpctrated.
Tho testimony adduced ~ tho hearing was chiefly a. 20
the confession os steele while be ia military custody
and 10 sorSe statements male BY Menker--not however,
admission OF guilt for ho denied having anything TO do
with the orgcr,es and fraud The Court ruled his tcs
mony out, except az 10 conversation between Menkler
and Marvin Merchant chief CLERK In tho once OF Maos
lee MenSler said 10 this witness that II hard be
should be confined for offence which he Lad CON
mited, and asked Mr. Mervine " the payment q the
money WOuil rcloA5e uifn nf was ~ pfOO1bly
would not. Again no reiterated his Innocence, upon
which Mr. Merchant replied that was strange Steele
had said he with him At all times aud got portion OF
the amounts obtained.
AZ the close OF the testimony Mr.. o'Nel claimed tho
discharge q Mcnker on tho ground OF tho nsuicency
Of tie iesiinCny.
The Judge sad that u was . which tho Distrc,
Attorney aboud have the fullest opportunity examine
into anf nc should holi the accused 81 900 answer
al tho term Of the court. Tho bail entered
son the OF steele he made full coufesslon
o his guilt. In which he says that he persoaatsi Llsui
M j. Dctorest, Lieut. Cooncl William G. Rin ston ,0r
white Captain A. u. - Tyler and Lieutenant Isaac T.
Massey Iis says that be had been IN the service AMI
understo9f military matters Ills irst attempt at fraud
IN this city. upon MAJOR Taggnt, Ia which he
ceedoi ~ the time he boarding at the Continental
ann q servant 10 MAJOR Taggarts ofcs for b,nk
pay rolls, which be got He then went 70 Surgeon Smiths
Office and got certificate u disability. The pay account
was then made out and tho money between hundred
and seven hundred dollars obtained To Harrisburg hs
next went and got two months ply MAJOR White. of
the Eighty rst regiment New York Volunteers about three
hundred dollars. In coupe n weeks a second visit
was raid 10 Harrisburg and $500 moro obtained After
THIS Baltimore visited, aSd from 800 20 500 obtained
from MAJOR Price There he pcrsona,ei MAJOR White. q
flosccrlns From Baltimore he returned 70 Philadelphia
and went to Washington 70 try bis fortune There
he obtained 800 Lieutenant Dc Forest, Acting All.
dc Camp 10 Genera. Steele. New York next yisltei
and about 5000 obtained from MAJOR Lee Leutenan,
Ds Forest. Csptaia Tyler and fasnenani Massey. and
from Paymastcr Pratt, t213 - Through MAJOR Ice he
was thea arrested. being found Al Tsy0rs saoDn,
Br0aigay. The forgery was discovered through q re-
turn of the account of bs officer pefsanaei by steele -
ths Paymaser Generals Oncc 10 Washington, well %
the regiment 10 which be sai o. belong. Tue
s9on followed the detection ~ the fraud