The New York herald., 1863-12-14
New York, Monday, December IA, 1sG:
THE SITUATION.

THE STU ALTON.
One of our correspondents with General
f,ades army reports that deserters from the
yoops are disposed to take advantage of the
Presidents offer of pardon. The same authority
assures us that large majority of North Carolina
aud border State troops are sick of the war, are
most anxious to return ''to their allegiance and
VII desert at the first opportunity, to take advan
tage Of Mr.. Lincons proclamation. 1t is said that
General Meade demands a court of Enquiry into
the conduct Of the recent advance across the
Rapidan, and the sudden retreat across that river.
No doubt he is anxious as the public are to
know the precise reason for the movement, pro.
gressiye and retrogressive. The authorities at
Washington, we presume can furnish the informa-
tion if they choose and it is to be hoped that the
court of inquiry will elucidate the matter.
despatch from General Bntler at Fortress
Monroe states that the rebel authorities at Rich
moad refuse to receive any more supplies for the
Union prisoners. The reason for this course is al
legged by the rebel government to be an mputation
On their honor by the press and government au.
thorities of the United States, that they were not
delivering the goods forwarded in good faith to
prisoners, and it asserted that the officers in
Libby prison, from the immense supplies they had
received, could set table from their stores on
hand equal to any hotel in the United States. It
was admitted that there had been some irregular
ities in the supplies at one time. but that the OIL
Ger who had been guilty Of neglccting prisoners
had been promptly removed and punished.
Flying rumors of a proposed measure for peace
on the part Of the rebels were still rife in Wash.
ington yesterday, and it was even said that Alex
ander H. Stephens had arrived at Fortress Monroe
some such mission; but the story-which is the
second or third canard of the same character
already circulated be verified upon any
more reliable authority than Washington jour
nal, as remarkable for its inaccuracy as for its
love of sensation reports.
The last news from the captured steamer Chesa.
peake is up to yesterday afternoon and reports
her as having left Shelburne on Saturday morning
with an increased crew and twenty chadrons of
coal A strange steamer was observed running
aud it was thought that she had coal on board for
the Chesapeake. Captain willcts and nine of the
crew Of the Chesapeake arrive d in this city yes
terday morning full and graphic history of
her capture and subsequent movements will be
found in another column. The details of the af.
fair, as furnished by Captain Willets, would
one of the most diabolcal on record, and that
after repeated attempts TO murder all the officers
o! the vessel the pirates concluded 10 pnt them in
irons and land them near st. John, NIB. He
shows also that the perpetrators were not South.
ern men, but British subjects Of very dubious
character It is stated that a score of similar
acts OF piracy have been planned, and several
vessels have narrowly escaped a fate akin to that
OF the Chesakeake. The pirates still retain the
posse sion Of the remaining engineers and iiremen
and will n9 doubt do SO until they can be replaced
by o,hcra
The farewell address of General Bragg 10 his
army on rcsigning the command and that OF Gene.
raj Hardee upon assuming the same, are given in
our columns to-day. They are each exceedingly
complimentary to the other General Bragg re.
fers to the serious difficulties through which the
rebel army has passed, and General uardee saws
that the past must take care OF itself; that their
object now is to "seoure the future"