The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-13

Richmond either by mail or wire.
Vance's letters of the 5th were not re-
a letter of that date the secretary Of
war said: This department. has con-
coded man things to the government
Of North Carolina with the view to Sc
ure a cordial cooperation of the gov
eminent and people in the defence Of
the country in the great struggle In
which it is now. engaged"
July 10th Captain John S. Dancy, of
the Seventeenth North Carolina, sent
from Petersburg by Colonel Edward
Cantwell. to the governor. a flag cap
tured from the 1e4th New York
regiment. at Cold Harbor June 3rd.
who charged boldly up to within sew
enty-five yards Of the line of the Sew
enteenth and were literally cut to
pieces. Only three of their men reach
ed their lines. We captured a few.
These were all left of the regiment.
All their field and company officers
were killed Immediately in our front
and bodies were literally piled upon
one another.
August 3rd Vance asked the war de-
partment for a military court for
western North Carolina to try desert
ers taken there with arms in their
hands. He added. Many have escap-
ed from jails, and a number while
being transferred from Asheville to
Camp Vance overpowered the guard
of junior reserves, killed two of the
boys and made their escape"
August 5th Vance wrote Alex. Collie
that while on the appeal Of other gov
errors and himself congress had re-
pealed the odious regulations which
did not allow the states to load full
on blockade President
Davis had vetoed the repeating act.
Vance said: "At present the business
does not pay and if no relief is obtain
ed l have instructed John White to
ask your consent to dissolve u con-
tract and sell out"
Vance August 5th wrote Collie that
the state had shipped over 400 bales
| of cotton, which should, if it was safely
| received, leave quite a balance in the
states favor. He said the extortion of
agents and c~onsigneeS at Nassau and
Bermuda was outrageous-2h per cent.
each way; little better han robbery,
it strikes me-" Why can't we establish
an agency of our own at Hamilton,
Bermuda"
Vance had just been reelected (Au-
gust 4th) and wrote Collie: 1T had
been supposed that there vas much
dissatisfaction, in this state particular
ly, towards the government, but the
election just Over c~Ontradicts it. My
competitor, a bold and popular dema-
| gogue, made the issue distinctly of
peace on terms less than independence,
and I have beaten him worse than any
| man was ever beaten in North Carroll
ma. Oar people will stand fair and
| square by their new government and
bid the common fate. Peace 'feelers'
have already been put out by both
sides and people begin to breathe
again."
Vance sent White to England the
| second time to buy up the states cot
ton and rOsin warrants outstanding in
! Europe. White was instructed to con-
suit FIanner as to the best method OF
operating and in case cotton did not
arrive fast enough he might borrow
money on the states credit or use the
states credit in any other way to at
tain his object; that no limitation was
placed On the price to be paid for the
warrants, that being left to Whites
| Judgment, provided it was less than
VIZ HoSt "a AN "N
rant.
July 2Sth General Whiting said he
had positive information that two
thirds of the conscripts employed at
| the salt works belonged to the treason
able organization known as the III. 0.
! A" He said this order was very strong
in Randolph county. Whiting ordered
the state to furnish two companies to
guard the salt works.
August 25th Governor Vance lent
Governor Smith, of Virginia, a large
! quantity of cloth, to be replaced in
twelve months
! The foreign holders of North Caro-
! lima cotton and rosin sent an agent
! Joseph V. Smedley, here, to look after
their interests. 1t was found that
| 22S. 900 barrels of rOsin were called for
| by the bonds Cor w~arrants). Smiley
! thought $4,000 barrels would satisfy the
| bondholders. But Vance said it would
require thirty trips of the little Ad-
vance to put 20, 900 barrels at Bermuda,
He said hat after the war ended he
| could deliver the 22S, 900 at a cost of
| not over 1925. 900. Vance told White all
these things in a letter August 25th.
He had told White verbally to give LOG
| per cent. advance on the bonds if they
could be bought for cash.
August 2sth s12o, 900 was paid George
S. Parker for salt at Saltville, Va, for
| 20, 900 bushels.
|
| Brigadier General L. S. Baker Motif
ed the governor of a federal plan to
capture all the coast counties. He
| wanted all the militia of the state call
ed out and sent to him at GoldsborO.
|
August 9th Vance wrote General
| Lee regarding desertion from the army
saying he a put the militia in the
| field for sixty days to clean the state
! of deserters. He told General Lee that
he did not know the latter disapprov-
ed Of further clemency to deserters.
August 29th General Lee wrote that
| he expected an attack on Wilmington
II - e. 4