, 1864-07-20

army; and he refused to send such numbers
Of reinforcements aB were demanded Upon
urgent representations from here, he made
some movements In front of Petersburg
which 1t is understood his own Judgment
did not wholly approve, but they Ss;l were nov or
the rebellion any particular advantage
Wherefore, in so far as the invasion was In.
tended as flank movement upon Grant, y
proved failure as bitter to the rebels, douot-
less, Is ou1 failure to capture the invaston's's
As q plunlering expedition the INVASION
was splendid success. The number Of
horses taken and "accepted''-for the fellows
had a jolly way Of receiving them from SYM
pathizers as 'sgtits for the cause.-The nun
ber Is estimated on pretty. good authority as
high Sc {, 5000; and more than one Maryland
farmer Of ruetul coQntenance declares tnat
the vagabonds came on foot and lett on
horseback. The number Of cattle driven on
hear named at 5000 head, but there is much
gard to the number Of horses: They m
doubtedly secured several hundred recruits |
or conBcripts, though I'm Inclined to disbe-
ieye the semi secesh assertion, which gives |
the number at ,000. They manifested fear,
to 275 per cent, and not only helped them. |
Ee1ves 10 all they found lying round loose,
but t'acceptedn Iarge sums from divers and |
sundry indiyidual5 and corporations 'for the |
good OF the cause Wherefore, in SO far as |
booty Of any md all kinds, it proved u Sue
cess as gratifying to the rebels, doubtless, as
our failure 10 prevent them from escaping |
with it Ia, ,hutniliatiDg to the nation.
If the rebel leaders really believed they
could capture Washington or Baltimore, md
meant tie movement for that purpose, they
must wear very crestfallen faces 1s they wea-
hly plod the homeward way. Despite the
fury OF the telegraph, and the sensation OF
the newspapers, and the apoplectic e3eate-
fighting amounted to scarcely enough to de.
mand IN hundred words in these days After
Monday noon, before which time there was
no effort the rebels had no more prospect OF
taking Washington than they had Of taking
the moon. II thelr effort was serious, they
Ial prison for 500 Of their number, attend
ance by our physician for hundred Of their
wounded, and burial by contrabaud negroes
OF sixty Of their dead, Wherefore, In SO far
as the Invasion was intended Us movement
against the Capital, it proved failure as
ridiculous and mortlfylng to the rebels,
| doubtless, as our negligence In making it
possible is dtsgraeeful to Ms.
IN TIE CITY DURING TIE SIEGE.
The city took the siege and Investment
very coolly and complacently from begin
| ming to end. Business went on es usual every
where. Pleasure parties ordered and adyer.
tised forst the country were postponed, @ bat
these inside the city were held on tune The
annual public school exhibition took place on
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. and
crowded. the Smithsonian Institution to It's
utmost capacity. Every body turned ont IN
sic Of q military band was heard on the street,
and we chec1cd the bronzed veterans Of the
9th and 18th corps in the heartiest style Of
ouf most juhilaat days. There was activity
enough on all sides, but there was Yery ntt!e !e:
an alarm The secesh were In high glee
enough to provoke the wrath Of loyal men
and women, and many Of them acted Us Il
they really believed We were all ut the mercy
during the Siege, and the doors Of tht
:, Old Capitol have closed upon number slnct
the rebels left. Spies abounded on Tuesday
or at least those whom plain people believed
were spies, md they doubtless informed ths
enemy that Tuesday night would BE- about q
, | good time to leave this nejghborhood q
they would get this Summer.
OF MILITARY ACTION.
, From Grants army was sent the 9Th Corp
! | md some few troops from other corps. Th
: 18th Corps was under Wny from New Orlean
; in fifty hours alter being ordered to join Gen
: Gr1nt, and reported at Fortress Monroe II
= SIX days-just in season to be seut up here
:; The clerks and employees Of the War Dc
n partment were Organized on Monday, thos
> Of some Of the other Departments on Tues
a day, and the Union League and District mi
= lit{a on Wednesday. Very tender care wa
t taken Of them generally; and, with few e.
= ccptions, their duty was neither arduous p no
! perilous, being mainly confined to guardln
t,our barrels, lumber piles, clothing boxes
Post Offices, Patent offices; and doing Will
out the usual number OF cigars aud sher
9 cobblers, and marching up and down wit
s q. s. muskets instead Of fancy canes for cor
y I ranions.
d CONCLUSION or TIE MATTER
- Echo, II you will, o reader, the ol
~ phrases, "Nashington Is safe,' md '.All
= quiet on the Potomac;" but tell 1t as
=. shame, disgrnce, humiliation, almost infamy
u that We are again driven back to them! Th
=. ,e and, so far rs We yet see, not generally !
Is Is the country. Timid counsels prevailed /
y and about the War Oflce-was it Holleck, Q
=, Hitchcock, or somebody elsee AS soon q
e Wright got his troops well in hand he pnsf
cd out tor couple Of hours and a A. at nes aes
y, my was beyond reach. "Wash1ngton
safe yes, but / hate the words: ssAl1
quiet on the Potomac "-yes, but that qulet
~ ness brings US to the verge Of infamy, for
y should have thundeTcd there SO that no reo'
u u emergency requlring-nay, with sharpea
er ity % of action 1t tie earliest M
%, ment; but we undertook to organ
s. clerks to man the Notifications; III
a dertook Mt the eleventh hour to enact tt
pe farce Of calling out'a semi-secesh militia
70 defend the city! We wanted use Of ball M
W. ~. cartridge, sword aud saber, shot and shell
y but we crowded the Provost Marshal's otnt
o, for passes to the front; We hired all 4
~ ~ horses and hacks to take us out to see tt
u u fight; We trundled my lady, Mrs: Preslden
er out that she might witness a battle and gra
1e iiy her woman's curiosity; we let onr Sen
TX tors duck and dodge and creep and crow
'st around the edges OF faucled peril that tn!
IL might speak with more potent Eoice IN II
81, an national councils; we took to the front
a. ycrs Of our nice young women that th'
IN might s'cheer our soldiers" In conflict
n ,ls hating and inconsequential that It sham
nc The old soldiers to the very hearts!
NJ Yes, "Washington Is SAFE" but somethi!
ye Of honor is gone! Yes, *'all is quiet on II
az ~ Potomac," but something Of manhood GOD