New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-09-10
THE GREAT CONTEST.
IRON THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC
Asfants Ccie Spirits of f'ie
Army--Picket Talks and Incident
The Military Situation - Deserters-
Signatures Of Correspondents - Late
Items.
rren Our SpeciA Correspondent.

tho ooAHNo arc tuAtIlIS CiC'~AuHJ J'''
aware from an unusual dearth Of news We hope tnat
what comes Of the Chicago Convention and the glorious
Rows from Atlanta. ere keeping you going say
xlorious news from Atlanta-wel, we have been Kept
awake for the last two or three nights by the cheering Of
men and the roaring of and musketry along the
Eacs 10 celebration Of the great victory Last night
particularly about midnight Of The grandest etil
,y dues Of the campaign took place all along the lines
On account orders having come from General Head.
quarters for the firing Of the usual salute from every
battery. For about hour the welkn was continual
tumble and reverberaton the shots averaging about
two per second and the blazing bombs rising and de-
scending. and chasing another up and down the
Armament, exploding midair, very similarly TO lively
rooket-fring Fourth Of July night.
The Army Of the James was nevcr-could never be
tn better spirits than q. the present moment The
rews from Atlanta the grand sze st Chicago settling
the matter that there is be change Of the present
War Administration interference with current active
military operationsand the intination from hee~iqrar
tiers that only hundred thousand wanted
toput down the Rebellion, and that these already
the way here, all conspiro to make the army mob OF
enthusiasm, from one end of the lines to the other
Sill it is not forgeifn of its military discipline. and
never we're batteries of FURNISHED artillery or glitter
ing lines Of musketry, reader for any emergency ut
the hands Of COOL determined gentlemanly sodiery,
than at this time from tho Weldon highway TO the APP
pomattox and the James.
Indeed, knowing their own resources and strength.
they afford to daily in measure, with the enemy
Hence the more than usual sociabity nj the present
fine. of the opposing pckets. On the right. ander
stand they sit on the opposite ends of the log and
Discuss the war; and the peace question. Some are not
quite so sociable The other day. of officers
A.. IA oto ooid 70 of them "Wpl
sit down on the end of that log there for the present.
until you get the lay Of the land little, and what is
going on" and then went on stationing his detail Pre-
senty the seated picket heard rustliug through the
bashes The other end Of the log, and voice at The
same time, asking, ia that you Yanki" On being
answered acknowledgement it nobody else"
Reb replied. "Wel. guess are getting little too
close together will withdraw a little" shifting the &C
zion 10 the word
On another occasion, two cooks in Col Stevens Brig
sde LIST Division 18th Army Corps in taking dinner to
their comrades in the trenches took the wrong bypab
and brought up in the camp Of the enemy They were
relieved of the dinner and sent TO Richmond and word
cent back pcks by she dinner eaters that they
would be very much obliged for another such NEAL
The other evening word given out TO our piekets
ny the Rebs, that some ladies' had come down from
Richmond and that there was to be prayer meeting
In the Rebel camp aud some ofour boys were invited
over but they failed TO see IT," On this part OF the
nne in sumo places the opposing forces get water out
of the same springs and the pickets traffic more OF less
N newspapers and other commodities
This intercourse and traffic seems to be carried on
perhaps even more persisteny and extensively though
little differently places on the left The pick
cts have agreement not to fire on each other without
aus notice. but it is understood that all captures by main
nhprs
makes the pickets somewhat shy of each other and con-
ssqucnty the most of their traffic is carried on in writ
lng They have neutral post between their lines-a
stump for instance-where notes Of negotiation and
commodities Of exchange arc mutually left. note or
two Of the Rebel pickes, that have seen, will more
fully explain the modus operandi;
"Please leave the worth Of this Ia plug OF Tobacco
IN writing paper. with two envelopes. VIII give you
two plugs OF tobacco for the knife
Please mail this letter an open letter. TO my mother
IN Kentucky. Put on OF your stamps and here Is
ono of ours and piece of tobacco in return What's
the chance TO get some coffee Of your
These notes. with or without the article referred to-
o. the may be, LEFT at the nearest post while
the person leaving them retres and the other person
comes up and examines them and replies-and so the
traffic goes on, Sometimes the bargain and exchange
Is made in person. without the trouble Of notes. One
Of the picke,s told me that during OF the ercest of
the lines near BY not Immediately engaged driy
ing brisk trade in tobacco notepaper. &c. Besides
CHS petty traicing little frank conversation
tbe state Of affairs is known TO be carried between
she more intelligent of the soldiers on picket
While these pacific relations exist between the pick
cts both at the right aud left Of the line the greatest
hostility prevails at the center, Immediately opposite
Petersburg and man cannot put his head above the
breastworks without running the risk Of having it taken
of by shell, made the target Of numbereSs Mimic
balls As illustration Of the horrors of constant.
H occurring during the most quiet times along the lines
mention single instance Of the many we daily meet
With. Of greater or less degree:
The other afternoon. in riding around the lines
called in al the 10th Corps fed-hospita On Of the
operating. tables handsome young lay his back.
IA his shirt sleeves under the influence Of chloroform.
The doctors were doing up his right arm, which had
been smputated below the elbow, while the hand
and part of the forearm lay under the table. noticed
that the young mans other rseeve bloody but
though little spprehensive. supposed that II probably
became so from the wound Just mentioned Wishing
70 see the surgeon charge who operating and not
particularly reshng the sight Of surgical operations
retired to tie porch Of the building and took scat in
the open air. Returning in few minutes to tho ope-
rating ROOM TO the progress Of affairs found the
snputated arm neatly done up in white bandages but
shey were fastening the surgeons clamp high up the
sther arm Returning again after short time, found
The young man just awake. and sadly. resignedly
Surveying Bis losses.
Iasked the surgeon in charge, aside. there any
sue about who knew him ofwhom could get his name
N The doctor who used TO such scenes, and be-