Year: 1863

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The Successful! Reconnaissance.


We are at length enabled, says the New
York Mercury, to lay before our readers our au-
thentic correspondents able report of the recent
stirring Mackerel events, from which it appears
that recent attempt to destroy the v1ell-Snown
Southern Confederacy, and capture the ancient
city of Paris BY surprise, was intend ed merely
as a reconnaissance, and had been entirely sue
cessful as such. There is no reason to despond


FROM WASHINGTON.


Editor T. T.: As it was feared on Sunday
last, my boy, that the venerable Mackerel Bri-
gade was about to commit breach of the peace
by strateglcally as saulting the Confederacies
established in the mud between the Mackerel
camp and the ancient City of Paris, mounted
my architectural steed, the gothic Pegasus, at
an early hour in the morning, and perceptibly
moved toward the scene of approaching tau
tology.


The emaciated aspect of my architectural
steed of the desert was so inviting to the fowls
of the air, my boy, that divers disreputable
crows circled sullenly around my hat, Us my
animal progressed with me by miscellaneousiy
scattering his legs around beneath HIMSELF and
at each particular .'caw" of the winged min
is.ers Of famine perceptible shudaer passed
through the entire framework of the deeply
fagitaied Pegasus. Abs.factedfy wsvIng my
umbrella, to inspire the sable birds for loftier
flights, / pondered deeply upon the lesson
taught me by the evident emotion of my aged
architectural servant to ride upon whose fiuted
back may be likened to sitting astride the
peaked roof of a small country chapel in the
midst of a hard earthquake, and holding on by
the steeple. If this Gothic creation, which is
but horse, thought l, is so agonized by the
mew, breakfast notes of a few demorallzed
crows in the atmosphere, how much more terri
BILE must be the anguish of the tellow-beings
known as Southern Confcderacies, who must
ever have !. dreadful presentiment of being
summarily expunged from the human race by
any one of our brass.buttoned geuerals, who
happens to board in their neighborhood for
few years.


If pity this architectural servant of mine,
thought, |, for his anguish at the proximity OF
the crows in the abstract how much more ten
der should be my feeling for Southern fellow
beings, who are continually endangered by the
much louder crows emanating from adjacent
Major General roosters. As | pondered thus,
nv boy, crow of much plumage and large
sized mien, suddenly alighted upon the pommel
of my saddle, as though impatient to breakfast
upon some pounds of horsefesh. For an in
stant, my boy, Pegasus trembled throughout
his works; he paused suddenly in his peregri-
nation, laid back his ears US though in deep
thought. twisted his head suddenly about and
bit off the tail of the crow in tie abstract


Simple as was the act, my boy, it at once re-
lieved me, in my own mind, of all obligations to
have more tender feeling for my Southern
fellow beings than is consistent with proper
emotion of hatred against the enemies Of my
country. After all, we eau learn much more
from brutes than from men and as Balaam'a
ass saw the angel before his master did, SO
the Angel of Victory is likely to be distinctly
obvious to any poor ass in the country, before
he becomes visible TO the sight of our strategic
great men.


q turn pretty sharp corner in that last sen.
tence, my boy but that is only safe strategy
when you find our argument getting ahead of
you.)


1t was high noon when reached the Mack
erel camp and found the specialized veterans
hastily preparing to cross Duck Lake after the
manner Of aquatic warriors. BY some strange
fatality, all the pontoons were at hand in time,
greatly to the distress of our more venerable
troops, who seemed to fear that such unheard
of punctuality must be an evil omen. AS there
were great many pontoons, and it was not
deemed best to waste any of them, two bridges
were built instead of one. it being considered
that, inasmuch as it was purposed to surprise
the unseemly Confederacies on the other side
two bridges would be just twice as surprising to
them as one would be. There was logic in this
idea, my boy-much logic and consummate
strategy.


Gazing across the oxpanse Of waters, l be-
held couple of regiments of Confederates
playing poker on the bank, and says to Viii
liam Brown, who was at the moment returning
q small black bottle to his holster:


:sTell me, my fearless blue-black, how this
can possibly be a surprise, when yonder gray
backs are looking on all the time"


s'Ah!" says William with much loftiness OF
demeanor, ''You are but civilian inseck, and
know nothing about war The movement"