Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-11

at least 200 guns and be augmented by
a fleet Of mortar boats under Porter.
Ben Butler was selected to command
the troops. This expedition was also
delayed In fitting out and had not sail
ed at the beginning of the new year.
The Situation In Missouri.
If the Federal army west of the Mis-
sippi was in unorganized condition at
the close Of 1861. army headquarters
itself was still more so. General John
c. Fremont had held the chief COM
mand from July TO November, and IN
der his regime Wilson's Creek was
fought and lost in August. General Da-
vid Hunter succeeded Fremont Nov.
2 and a week later gave way to Hal |
leck. At that time the principal Fed
eral army lay at Rolla. north of Spring |
( field. in southern Missouri. confronted |
/ by the CCnfederates Sterling Price and
Ben McCulloch. against whom the i'll
starred Lyon had fought 50 CALAMITY
at Wilson's Creek. Halleck changed
the commanders of the force in front
! OF Sprirg field twice within a week at
the end of December. leaving it finally
in the hands of General S. r. Curtis.
, Curtis Immediately started southwark
toward Springfield on toilsome win
ter march toward the Arkansas border.
Both Sides Building Warships.
While the war on land waited for
the muster and equipment of armies
and the development of plans the whir
of machinery and the din of anvil and
hammer resounded in all the shipyards
of both sections, getting ready for
. struggle between ironclad vessels. The
ram Merrimac was slowly and secret
" growing into shape at Norfolk, and
the pygmy which was to cut short her
career was still in the hands of Erics-
son and his mechanics at Greenpoint,
n. Y. The Eads feet Of paddle wheel
: ironclads, famous during the war as
; the ninety day gunboats" on account
| Of the haste in their construction, were
under way on the Mississippi.
The Confederates. having few seago-
: ing ships. fell back upon river boats
|, for defense and turned their attention
to the building of clumsy plated ves-
sells from old hulks. The Louisiana
and Mississippi were built on the low
er Mississippi. the Arkansas and Ten
nessee at Memphis, the Atlanta at Sa-
vannah and the Palmetto State and
Chicora at Charleston. OF all the Con
federate ironclads begun in 1861 only
the Merrimac and Arkansas became
famous in battle. and, of course. the
commerce destroyers Alabama and
Shenandoah were yet unheard of at
this time fifty years ago.
Minor Events of the Week.
On the first day of the new year Ma
son and Slidell, the two Confederate
commissioners under arrest as prison.
ers Of the United States and claimed
by Great Britain. were released from
confinement at Fort Warren. Boston
and delivered into the hands of LORD
Lyons. the British minister at Wash
ington. This arrangement was accord
ing to the stipulationS in England's
diplomatic but urgent request that the
gentlemen be set at liberty. The neXt
day the British gunboat RinaldO sailed
from Provincetown, Mass. for Eng
land, having the commissioners as pas
sengers.
The first release Of Union prisoners
of war held by the Confederates il
Richmond was effected on James rivel
on Jan. g. The captives numbered 24(
and were chiefly those taken at Bull
Run. July 81. 1861. This was the be
ginning of regular exchanges, although
army commanders had sometimes made
exchanges on their own responsible!
at the close OF battle. especially o
wounded men. The exchange on Jane
river led to the appointment Of a com
mission to visit southern prisons b,
President Lincoln and later to the OF
ganization of n regular system of ex
change.
On the 4th Stonewall Jackson
troops, led by him in person. captures
the town Of Bath. near Romney, Va
and burned bridge behind them afte
carrying off valuable Union army sup
plies. This was the beginning of Jack
sons enterprises as an Independent
commander in the western section o
Virginia.
A New Battlefag.