Year: 1864




From our latest Northern files we gather some
very interesting intelligence, which give below


PLOT TO LIBERATE CONFEDERATE OFFICERS.


The fact that six hundred Confederate officers were
sent to Hilton Head on the Crescent City, to be
placed under fire on Morris island has been stated
letter to the New York Times gives the following
Incident of the voyage:


Immediately on landing, Captain III. Prentiss, in
command of the guard, reported to General Foster
his suspicious OF an attempt the part of William
Baxter, the second mate of the vessel, to run her
ashore at Cape Roman with a view of allowing the
prisoners to escape. The Crescent left Fort Della
ware last Saturday under convoy of the naval sup
ply steamer Admiral, and, when off Cape Roman, it
Is alleged the her regular course and
made direct line for the shore. The mate was in
charge of the steamer at the time-the captain hav
ing gone to his berth.


When the Admiral saw the Crescent making in
land she showed lights and sent up rockets of which
the mate took no notice, although he was informed
that signals were being made. The Crescent ran
aground at nearly low tide consequently at high
water she enabled to get atoat. While the ves-
sci ashore 1t is reported that of the prison.
ers, Lieutenant-Colonel Woodford jumped over
board, and escaped by swimming although the cap
tain Of the guard suspects that he is concealed ON
board the vessel. Both the captain and mate were
arrested and the latter put in irons by order OF
General Foster 1t is thought that the rebel officers
bribed the mate to run the steamer ashore; but as
to that matter, well as other matters attending
the whole affair, We shall be better informed when
the Board OF Inquiry, about to be convened, shall
have made this report AT present the subject IL
too delicate to warrant speculation, and am un-
willing that the parties under arrest should
be made to bear the burden of unfavora-
bic opinion until the facts OF the case are
proven against them As to the guard they were
ready to to do their duty to the fullest extent
strict eye kept on the mate, and preparations
were made to shoot the first rebel who should attempt
to escape. The guard composed principally Of
the One Hundred and Fifty-seventh Ohio regiment
hundred day men, and volunteered their service on
the occasion, their time Of enlistment having eX-
pired on the 231 instant The Admiral signalled to
a gInboat in the vicinity, which gunboat ran up as
near the Crescent as possible IN order to repel any
attack that the rebels might make from the shore
Fortunately for the rebels hostile demonstrations
We're made. One Of the prisoners has since stated
that if the vessel had remained aground hour
two longer a considerable force of cavalry would
come down to assist the prisoners i'll escaping. The
prisoners all officers, ranking from colonel DOWN
ward


YANKEE VIEW THE INTE RIOR SUPPLY OF DIXIE.
A Yankee who has conversed with some of Stone
mans raiders who escaped thus writes their impress
sions of Dixie" as he calls it;


All agree i'll representing the Confcderacy to be
agIiculturally III most hourishing condition. The
whole land is fat with and plenteous pork OF
cOrn while negroes huddled in only less abun-
dance than mules and horses. The region which
they penetrated is level and exceedingly fertile the





whining creatures whom sec i'll Northern Georgia,
but bitterly defiant and hostile toward the Yankees
but the absolutely swept out of the country
The vast tracts stretching mile after mile, unbroken
by the roadside, formerly devoted to cotton, now
flourish with corn-the Government allows only a
quarter of an of cotton per hand. Georgia
alone has enough corn i'll cultivation to subsst the
whole rebel army for year. They found consider
able old corn, and plenty of pork, stored i'll cellars
in bulk. At Madison they destroyed five hundred
sacks of genuine Rio Coffee and large quantities of
rebel Shoes made of stout cotton cloth.


In short, the rebels have of imported luxures but
little to spare; but of the substantias-the material
for sturdy muscle and the basis of hard fighting
they hare abundance.


But, tally considered, the South is described as
being as gloomy and cheerless it is otherwise
prosperous. The absence of nearly every adult
white man from the household and the redoubled
multtudes of negroes, give air of dismal lonei-
to the whole land, which described some-
thing appalling. We who are near to the army miss
nothing, but they wandered for days through a
great desert Every ono between sixteen and sixty
five is put into the army; in one county,
they found gray-haired patriarch, who told them
there but twelve white male persons old enough
to be called men In the county.


The negroes swarmed about them III vast num-
bers, SO that General Stoneman had finally to es-
tablish a guard and drive them off to enable his
forces to proceed at all Each one brought in as the
price of his deliveranoe, fine horse two,
eral mules of prodgiouS size, and an order had to
be issued to dlSencunber the army of them when
they began to be hemmed III. Three thousand We're
turned away at one time.