Three are the strands
My ROPE demands;
I have but one
Love, love alone;
Nor faith, nor hope,
Are in my rope.
In vain I try,
My cup must lie
All where it fell-
Ah! cruel well.

which the enemy has yet suffered. On the mand the channel at all important places. 20th April, after a siege of a few days, Nor have our forces in Arkansas been idle, Plymouth, a naturally strong and carefully a powerful column under the Federal Genfortified position, surrendered disgracefully eral Steele was first harrassed and much to a combined land and naval force, the injured, and then regularly attacked and former under Gen. Hoke of N. C., who was routed. A large portion of this army is made a Major General on the day of the said to have been captured; the small capture for his brilliant exploit. Wash-remnant has fled to Little Rock, leaving ington also was abandoned by the enemy wagons, supplies, and all but their persons and they now hold only Newbern, with a in the hands of our pursuing troops. superior force. Our iron clad ram Albe- In the meantime a very large army was marle here inaugurated the practical ex-gathered in front of our forces under Gen. periment of fighting land fortifications with Johnston, evidently with a view to invade iron clad vessels, and obtained, under her Georgia, and thus to carry out Gen. Scott's brave commander, Capt. Cooke, most sig- original plan of cutting the Confederacy in nal success, although but thinly clad and two. After continued skirmishing in orunder the fire of 8-inch rifled guns. The der to feel our strength, the enemy adexperience here gained will be of vital in vanced on both our flanks, and by great terest to France and England, as they have superiority of numbers and skilful manoeunot yet had an opportunity for testing their vring, succeeded in crossing the Etowah iron and steel clad vessels. river on the 20th May, thus seriously Louisiana also was, during the preced-threatening our position. Gen. Johnston, ing month, the scene of an even greater therefore, fell slowly back, along the raildisaster that befell the Northern arms. road line, in search of an advantageous Gen. Banks, forgetful of the severe punish-position, and a great battle for Atlanta is ment received at the hands of the great daily expected.

run,

Jackson, planned, and it is said, contrary The main effort of the enemy was, howto orders from Washington, executed an ever, directed against Richmond, and to expedition up Red River, to occupy West-do honour to the Federals, it must be acern Louisiana, and to isolate, if not to over-knowledged that the movement has been Texas. His army, divided into three carried out with greater concert of action columns, did not well co-operate, and the on the part of the leaders and superior powerful fleet, under Admiral Porter, fighting capacity on the part of the men, which supported him with gunboats and than either have shown before. Thanks carried his supplies on transports, was to the God of Battles and the superior valcaught by the fall of the river and placed in or of our men, these efforts have so far imminent danger. Advancing in most ir been either successfully foiled or entirely regular style, contrary to all military rule or defeated. The plan was evidently to adexperience, he was met by our forces un- vance in heavy masses, concentrated under Gen. Richard Taylor, totally defeated der the able generalship of Grant, in front on the 9th of April, near Mansfield, and of Lee, whilst powerful columns were to after having fallen back twenty miles to support the movement from other direcPleasant Hill, signally worsted in spite of tions. The latter have signally failed.. heavy reinforcements. Several thousand Gen. Averill attempted to approach on the prisoners, twenty one pieces of artillery, line of the Tennessee Railroad, in order and an immense quantity of stores fell into to destroy the salt works and lead mines our hands. Detached corps hold in the of Southwestern Virginia, and to intercept meantime the Red River below his forces. the line of communication. Dividing his which are mostly at Alexandria, destroy- force into two columns, he fell upon ing gunboats and transports, and greatly Wytheville, where he was thoroughly endangering all navigation. A like success beaten by the forces of Jones and Morgan, has crowned our efforts on the Mississippi, and sent an advance to Dublin, which suewhere, since the capture of Fort Pillow, ceeded in overcoming our inferior forces trade has nearly ceased, as our troops com-and in destroying bridges, depots, &c.

.

Still, our resistance was vigorous enough,, (Fort Darling), but in every instance the to make this portion of the army also re-enemy have been driven back with severe treat, and Averill has been of no service loss. Our own losses have been heavy, to Grant. In the Valley, Gen. Siegel ad- but no impression has been made on our vanced from Winchester on the 6th May, works, and the Federals have been comfor the apparent purpose of destroying pelled to seek shelter behind their strong Lynchburg or Charlottesville, and of keep entrenchments, which stretch from Port ing reinforcements from reaching Lee from Walthall, on the Appomattox, to Bermuda this direction. Gen. Breckenridge, who Hundreds, on the James River, whilst their had been at Jackson's river, made a forced gunboats protect their right flank and their march of nearly fifty miles, was reinforced line of communication. Here they have been by Imboden, met Siegel, and with a far in-repeatedly attacked by our troops, under ferior force, defeated him near New Mar- the command of General Beauregard, and -ket, about half way between Staunton and each time severely worsted. On the 20th Winchester. The enemy lost six pieces of they were driven from their rifle pits and artillery, several hundred prisoners, and outer line of entrenchments, which rewere driven back, in utter disorder, until peated efforts since have not enabled them they crossed the North fork of the Shenan to recover. Thus far, then, not only Petersdoah, burning the bridge behind them, and burg and Richmond are perfectly safe, but thus seeking shelter behind the swollen Butler's column also has been of no service river. In this brilliant affair the Cadets of to Grant. Lexington bore a conspicuous part, and by their success as well as by their heavy loss in killed and wounded, earned general praise and sympathy.

The main attack has, of course, been made from the North by General Meade's largely increased army. Previous to moving, it was reorganised into three army Smaller columns were detached by the corps, under Hancock (2nd), Warren (5th), enemy to destroy the railroads South of and Sedgwick (6th), to which was added Richmond, in order to prevent supplies and a reserve corps under Burnside, assembled reinforcements being sent to Lee from the at Annapolis, and largely composed of South. The damage they inflicted was negroes. On the 2nd they struck their but trifling, their losses heavy; they were tents in Culpepper county, sending back repulsed and compelled to fall back to their stores and everything portable, even their supports, without having prevented to the railroad bridges, to Alexandria, thus very heavy reinforcements from reaching clearly indicating their purpose to abandon Richmond. the line of the Orange and Alexandria A more serious danger was at first ap- Railroad, and to seek a new base. On the prehended from the heavy forces with 4th they crossed the Rappahannock at Ely's which General Butler ascended James and Germana ford, and formed a line from River. On the 4th May the expedition Chancellorsville to Parker's Store, about left Newport News, a flotilla of army gun-twenty miles East of Orange. General Lee, boats leading the van, followed by iron anticipating their movements, sent Ewell clads and double ends, and a number of and Hill to meet them, and for two days regular navy vessels, whilst a number of a most bloody battle was fought in the transports, loaded with men, followed in Wilderness. From the nature of the ground the rear. The bulk of the troops were land- and the prevalence of dense, tangled. ed above City Point, at Bermuda Hundreds, woods, no artillery could be used, and, as and on the 6th an advance threatened Port is usual in musketry fights, the casualties Walthall, but was quickly repulsed, main-were enormous. The enemy fought with ly by South Carolina troops. On the fol- unusual tenacity, losing at least 15,000 lowing days they were heavily reinforced, men on these two days, and many Generals, and obtained possession of the railroad among them General Wadsworth. Our leading to Petersburg. Since then, repeated loss was comparatively small, and every attacks have been made upon the outer attack was successfully repulsed with imline of fortifications around Drury's Bluff mense slaughter

Finding himself unable to break through with difficulty held back from leading them our lines and thus force his way to Rich-in person, and under the gallant General mond, the enemy next attempted to flank Gordon, promoted to Major General on the our right wing, for which purpose he had field, they recovered the lost position and to obtain possession of Spottsylvania court- inflicted again a fearful loss on the enemy. house His views were, however, again No essential advantage was gained by anticipated by Lee, who had reached there them, for even the loss of two Generals, first and established himself on a strongly about 700 men, and perhaps twenty guns, entrenched line, parallel to that of the was largely outweighed by the far heavier Federals. On the 8th, the latter occupied losses of the enemy. Fredericksburg, sending their wounded A heavy rain, which set in on the folthere and rebuilding the railroad to Acquia lowing day, served the latter as a pretext Creek, making this their line and the Poto- for suspending active operations for several. mac their base. In a series of efforts they days, during which he shifted his right again tried to break through our lines, or more towards the telegraph road and turn our right, but they were brilliantly Fredericksburg railroad, leaving large repulsed on every occasion, and with fear-numbers of arms, wagons, &c., and over ful loss of life. 700 sick in a hospital on his abandoned On the 11th, General Sheridan, com- front of the right. On the 15th, they thus manding the cavalry of General Meade's occupied the line of the Ny, one of the army, left the latter on a raid towards tributaries of the Mattapony, holding MasRichmond, probably expecting it to be held saponax church and contracting their line or at least closely invested by Butler. He for the purpose of massing their forces. was immediately pursued by General J. E. From that time onward, they attacked our B. Stuart, whose forces, though unable to line more or less earnestly almost daily, compete with far superior numbers, con- trying thus to cover their movements on tinually harrassed and seriously injured our right flank. Gen. Meade was, all the him, until he was hemmed in, on the 11th, time, manœuvring to outflank us, and as at Yellow Tavern, in Henrico county. Gem Lee's watchfulness and inexhaustible Their horses worn out, their rations ex- activity, left him no hope of succeeding in hausted, and their men demoralised, they this effort, he moved on the 21st upon Milcould escape only by a stratagem. At-ford Station and Bowling Green, apparenttacking our troops in front, they rebuilt ly with a view of establishing an addition. Meadow Bridge, laid logs over the railroad al base at Port Royal and Tappahannock. bridge, and slipped away, under cover of This manœuvre, well executed, but so far the night. It was in this last encounter fruitless, necessitated, of course, a corresthat General Stuart was mortally wounded. ponding movement on our side, and after He died on the 12th in Richmond, universally regretted as one of the bravest and noblest of our great Generals.

having discovered by a reconnoisance in force, that the enemy's breastworks, near Spotsylvania C. H., were really abandoned, On the same day the enemy, having Gen. Lee also swung his columns round, made a feint of attacking our right, and so as to confront the enemy and retain the having massed heavy forces on our left, inner line, around the centre, Richmond. took advantage of a heavy fog in the early As well as can be judged at the moment of morning and fell upon an advanced part writing, it is to be regretted that Grant of our line. Favored by the suddenness should have failed to repeat his bloody of the surprise and the absence of our strategy of a direct assault upon our lines artillery, they stormed the breastworks,near Hanover Junction. With our line capturing the unsupported infantry under of communications safe, and a position and with General Edw. Johnson, and soon superior to any which we had previously after a number of pieces that had been assumed, a still more bloody repulse awaitsent to his support. As soon as the move-ed the Federal hosts than that which have ment was understood, our troops were already rendered historic the ensanguined brought into action, General Lee being plains of Spotsylvania. In pursuance of

the policy which he has steadily indicated] Our readers, we are assured, will pardon since his repulse on the 12th of May, of the necessary absence of a portion of our avoiding a general engagement, Grant has usual editorial matter. Having at one continued moving to our right, his advan- time, during the excitement incident to the ced column having reached Hanover late summons of the militia forces to the Town on the Pamunkey-corresponding field, almost despaired of our ability to disposition of the Confederate forces have issue the Messenger within anything like been made by Gen. Lee, and thus on the our usual time, however great might be morning of the 30th of May, the two ar- our editorial industry, we philosophically mies stand confronting each other in close yielded our recognition of the existing proximity to Cold Harbour, a locality ren- state of affairs, and with commendable dered classic the defeat of McClellar complaisance acquiesced in the propriety

two years ago.

by

Later intelligence from Louisiana, indi- who, like ourselves, devoted their leisure

escape of

a portion of his army moments to finding out the news. As a

condition

cates the

in a

of utter demoralization. consequence when, by the grace of His

The brilliant campaign of Gen. Taylor has Excellency Gov. Smith, who had discover

resulted in the destruction of a large army, ed

that the enemy were aware of the

recovery

and he has been appropriately rewarded ers

of the Capital, and would therefore

and the

for his

of almost an entire State, presence of the militia among the defend

services, with the rank of Lieuten- desist from any contemplated attack upon

ant General.

The Federal army of Steele, the city, our employees were suddenly, and

in Arkansas, has been repeatedly defeated without premonition, returned to their

covered.

to a great extent, re- the condition of a party surprised and

ambuscaded-totally unprepared for such

disastrously by Gen. Price, and thus ano- avocations,

we found ourselves much in

ther State has been,

in better spirits than ever, feeling conscious order that our readers may have the Mes

of their power to overcome even largely senger at the earliest possible moment,

superior numbers of the enemy; our cities,

once considered

assured that the reduction in the quantity

of

our editorial matter is more than com

豐

in serious danger, are per

fectly safe, supplies and ammunition are pensated for by the valuable and interest

abundant, and there is every reason to ing matter in the body of the number.

hope, that with help from on high, the last

attack upon Richmond will be an even more signal failure than all the former and

that with this discomfiture the disheartened and disappointed North will be made

REJECTED MSS.

Theresa Street, No. 20-The Wife's Sto

to see the necessity of peace. The lan-ry My Aunt's Experiences Blanche guage of those who favor peace, is daily Ruthlege--Where is Utopia ? Virginia-A becoming louder and bolder, both in the Dream. The above named contributions press and on the floor of Congress, and the are respectfully declined, and will be resurest standard by which to measure the turned upon receipt of the necessary posbuoyancy of public opinion, public credit, tage. The large number of MSS. presentshows unmistakable signs of great discoured for our decision, must be our apology agement. We may confidently anticipate, for our failure to answer each contributor therefore, that one decisive victory will individually. We are not responsible for bring final success to the righteous cause MSS. after they are published as rejected, and restore unto us the longed for blessings longer than the appearance of the next of peace,

supceeding number,