Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-16
0bio Statesman,
PRINTED. AND PUBLISHED BY
The Ohio Statesman Company
TUESDAY MORNING, = AUGUST
SOUTHERN NEWS.

TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST l6.
SOUTHERN NEWS.
From Petersburg -. Negro Troops ---
10. The Retirement of Secretary Menu
minger-.-Intelligenc from Georgia.
[From The Richmond Dispatch, August 81
'" '9 FROM PETERSBURG.
AS we stated yesterday, nothing whatev-
er of interest occurred in front of Peters"
burg on Tuesday. That state of things con-
tinued until the close of the day. The
usual picket firing and mortar shelling took
place, but these have now become of such
common occurrence that they fail to at
tract attention. In the opinion of some
persons, the enemy are still mining, and
the reason given therefor is that they can
see them bringing dirt from their 'saps'
and depositing it in their rear. This may
be so; but the general impression seems to
be that they had but one completed on Sat-
urday, and that they expected greater re-
suits from that than they have realized.
AS The cypress pertinently remarks, it
was manifestly to their advantage, and they
know it as well as we, to have sprung all
their mines simultaneously if they had
more than one. 1t is stated that there are
but few points along the lines where mining
operations can be successfully conducted,
and one of these has been tried. The opin-
ion is, therefore, already expressed that this
mode Of warfare is about at at an end with
Grant; but Of this we should not be too
confident.
A Yankee officer, who accidentally got
into our lines on Monday morning during
the cessation of hostiities, was returned the
next day under flag of truce. His name
was Thomas, and his rank that of Colonel.
His straying into our lines may not have
been altogether accidental, and his mission
may have been that of a spy. Atall events,
it would have been good idea to have
kept him in rebel prison for while as a
punishment for his indiscretion-to call il
by no harder name.
NEGRO TROOPS.
[From The Richmond Dispatch, Aug. 81
Among the eleven hundred prisoners
taken by our forces last Saturday before
Petersburg, two hundred were negroes
many of them, perhaps all of them, stolen
or runaway slaves. If any advertisement
ing upon persons who have lost slaves to
come forward and identify their property
and take it away, we have not observed
such advertisement.
Lately there were many negroes recov-
cred from the raiding party of Kautz and
Wilson; their names were very properly
published and their owners informed where
they could come and take them. The two
hundred black rascas taken alive in the
Petersburg trenches, (most improperly tax
en- alive, as they proclaimed "no quar- ter, y
now that they are in our hands, are worth
half million. 1t may be hoped that strict
ha n
due notice given to such as have lately been
robbed of such property, with view OF
making restitution of such of them as are
slaves. ..
The right of the Yankee Government is
undoubted to enlist, or to draft, or procure
how they can, free negroes whose residence
is at the North they would have perfect
right to make war upon us with elephants
or to stampede us with wild cattle, or to sci
dogs upon us-and our men an equal right
to kill them-a perfect right, therefore, to
employ negroes as soldiers.
But they have no right to steal mans
negro. and arm him against his master;
and his master, wherever he may find that
stolen or runaway negro. is entitled to re-
claim him. On this point our Government
is happily committed; and it can by no
means evade the plain duty of restoring re-
captured slaves to their owners-unless in
deed it recognizes the validity of the Eman-
cipation Proclamation, as well as of the
confscation act but this is not to be sup
posed. III
1t was not, however, making good be-
ginning to march up those two hundred ne
grOes, along with nine hundred white men,
as prisoners of war, through the streets OF
Petersburgh, instead of separating them,
and driving them into pen by themselves,
until their status should be ascertained, and
their owners Gt any found.
"TwHhundred genuine Eboshins sprin-
kled among the crowd of prisoners" and
placed ON the same footing, was a sight, the
moral effect of which upon the slaves OF
Petersburg could not be wholesome; and it
is mainly upon that ground we disapprove
of the eXhibitiOn-not because they were
not good enough company for the Yankees
they marched with.
Without, however, going further into
that matter for the present, it is enough to
remark that we have not as yet, heard OF
any of those two hundred negroes being
restored to their owners, nor met with any
advertisement that they await identifica-
ton.
Any one who has lost slaves, however,
need not await the invitation, but ought to
go at once, demand to pass the whole squad
Ill TtNltWs dllu IL IlC IOCOSuiLCo q SuoiCh VI
runaway slave OF his own or any neighbor,
to reclaim him or take possession of him.
Any such planter, going to reclaim his
slave, if he meets with any difficulty, had
better not be discouraged, but demand to
see one superior officer after another until
he comes to Gen. Lee. -1 +.,r
/ II, after all, he cannot get back his slave,
or if he is not allowed to examine the ''pris-
oners" to see whether his slave is among
them, then let him communicate all the
facts to the public, through the newspapers.
Yesterday prices in both the first and sec
ond markets ranged somewhat lower than
usual, and the supply of meats. vegetables,
fruits, etc. on hand was abundant to pro-
fusion. The following were the ruling
prices: alsl .lL qsa..-c5 l.-fe..'--.
Cabbage, per head, from 81 to So; cucum-
bers per dozen, 81; cymblins per dozen, 81;
tomatoes per quart, 81 to So; onions per
quart 50 SO to SO so; potatoes per quart, 81
to So; snaps per quart 81 to 81 30; green
peas per quart, 50 to 50 so; sugar beans
per bunch, 81; chickens per pair, $5 to $40;
ducks per pair, $l2 to SIG; butter per pound,
So to 80; eggs per dozen, $5 to $6; apples
per quart, Soc to 81 80; peaches per quart
90 to So 90; pears per quart 81 to 50;
watermelons, SO to $S; very fine cantelopes,
SOC to 80; fresh meats per pound, SO to $4.
4aIn the second market, the market wagons
.struolr ont n crraat distanoa havond the