Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-03-21
LETTER FROm RE0HMOND.
gsselsI CsrrsspOndsnee Memphis Appeal
ETruuoNr NFa-rb Is 1854

6Beeial Cerrsa2ondance Memphis Appeal.
RICHMOND, March 16, 1864.
A dark, bleak day yesterday. smart dash Of snow
aI night ice In the cutters this morning, and all this
with thHprieots In blossom and the later fruits putting
forth their buds Our Virginia March Is sresehsrous
as Seward. Last week the air had the balm Of Asy,
and fires were Amos. wholly given up, people sat with
the windows thrown open, and children were sporting
on the grAss-today there Is svsry prospect Of another
freeze snd the town Is in general shiver.
The keen wind and forbiddng skies Of yesterday did
not however prevent very becoming and enthusiastic
denomination On the part OF citizens towards
elias. Of usn who have been hitherto negSetsdths re-
turned Confederate prisonerz Az It widely known
.hs. two boats With more than six hundred brave fsl.
lows bavs is. arrived at City Point, from Point Lock
cut would cone sp the xvsr during the course of the
dsv, the neishborhoOd Of the steamboat landing was
rourd A. an early hour with citizenH ladies well aI
Gentlemen to greet the long absent defendsIs Of the
country On their return Dixie. About one o'clock P
NJ the boats reached the wharf, snd procession was
Imr,dlatsIv formed the PEblis Guard with their ens
band acting as eseor and marched through the principal
streets TO the base Of tie equestrian statue Of Washns
ton in the Capitol square.
Here President Davis soon came among them, shsE-
Ing them by the hand, ana resolving the tumuhuous
cheers Of the multitude. Addresses were delivered by
the President Gov Smith Col J. Lucius Davis Of this
city (ons Of the returned prsonerI) and Capt HAteh'
Of the Bureau Of Exchange, and Immediately sttsr-
wares plentiful supply Of hot coffee and bread and
meat was distributed among them, and the col
unu took up its march for Camp Lee. The exses
number OF Coafsdsrstes sent back eS5, including
50 or mere officers Among the latter Gen W d.
Fitzhuzh Lee, for whom Neal Dow dispatched By
tie return boat.
There were no less than tEsnty-Elx gensrab OF ths
Cozfsdsrats army neludus the brig1disrE) In Rieh-
ond yes erdAy and speculation has been rife as to the
object Of 50 large = conyoost5n- Gen Bragg, Rsng
here zen permAnence' dUty military director Of
all cur operations all at net BY Generals Robt
E. Lee Longstreet, Hood whiting, Jack Morgan and
MsLas 90 say nothing Of the bTigsdieT) AID this un-
doubtsdiy means something Were the Yankees HWzrs
Of This remarkable concentration Of rebel military
genius at Richmond this time, they would very likely
gs up suothsr raid for the purposs OF bsEging the
party. a rather COED ioks pSrsetrated sn very
young and modest brigsdler by old navy ofHssr.
who inquired Of him with great gravity Whist AL YOU
leading spirits Of the army" were consulting about in
the Office Of the Secretary Of War.
II the views Of the E1aziNss Frsdsricksburg CORE
spOnden are correct it ia very posSibs that this counc
Of war has been called consider upon the plan Ct
the spring campaign adopted by the enemy. This cor
respondent states with great postiveness hEt it has
been determined in WashngtOR make the capture Of
Richmond the great object Of the spring and simmer
months Grant having declared that Ia idle to carry
any new offensive operations in the Southwest long
the Confederate Capital dshes the attempts CT the
Northern armies, and that accordingly force Of not
lass than two hundred and fifty thousand will be
pushed against this city IN three columns without loss
Ct tine.
Whist thsy are to do, they must indeed, do quickly,
for gold getting up alarming figure, and then
there the danger Of French intervention beoom-
ing every day 1rs serious II this three column two
hundred snd ay thousand attack has beenrssolvsd
in Cabinet council in Washington, Sen Lee is quite
as likely to know it ns the EzaHiHeTs correspondent
and nssd not fear but that Grant viii Be ouiwited
By the man who are satrusted with defense. and
then defeat VIII be followed pretty surely by reeoEp
ton, not by France England, Belgium Spain, but
by the United statssI Nous VsrToas.
General Joseph e JohnstOn's OfieIsl report Of the
military movements in his department. of Mississippi
End Bs Louisiana during the past year Is Published
for the hrss time In the EIsminsr of this morning
Szd aS four columns OF that paper This report will
very naturally asiract wide share Of sttsRtisn, nss
much discusses the which led to ths fs OF
vieksburg and subjects Gen Psmbertsn's conduct to
destructive IRE occurred al O'Clock this morning,
two miles from town, By which the beautiful country
.sat OF the Hon James Lyons late member OF Congress
frem this district, totally consumed together with
The larger part Of Its ssgans furniture and the sxten
live and vsluabls miscellaneous library Of Its accom-.
plishsd owner. Ths hour At which the Ere broke on
and tie remoensss Of ths mansion from the hrs brig
lds Of the city rendered all efforts at gushing the
flames hopeless.
The family turned out into the cold Aight air
without shelter. snd had than time to escape
anhsrned from the blazing building The Ere sup.
posed to have been the work Of an incendiaEy. Mr.
Lyons s well known to many beyond the limits Of Ylr
znia for his muniheent hospitality and his severe less
VII be the occasion Of . wide regret.
The trial Of Mrs Patterson Allan Ter treason came up
odsy IN tie Confederate District Court, Judge HAIy
burton presiding. DIXIE.