FEBRUARY 20th.—We have exciting news from the West. The iron-shod gunboat, Queen of the West, which run past Pemberton’s batteries some time since, captured, it appears, one of our steamers in Red River, and then compelled our pilot to steer the Queen of the West farther up the river. The heroic pilot ran the boat [...]

FEBRUARY 19th.—The resignation of Gen. Gustavus W. Smith has been accepted by the President. It was well done—the acceptance, I mean. Who will Gen. Winder report to now? Gen. Winder has learned that I am keeping a diary, and that some space in it may be devoted to the history of martial law. He said [...]

FEBRUARY 18th.—Mr. H_____s, another of Gen. Winder’s detectives, has gone over to the enemy. He went on a privateering cruise from Wilmington; the vessel he sailed in captured a brig, and H_____s was put in command of the prize, to sail into a Confederate port. Instead of this, however, H_____s sailed away for one of [...]

FEBRUARY 17th.—Gen. Lee is not sending troops to Charleston. He is sending them here for the defense of Richmond, which is now supposed to be the point of attack, by land and by water, and on both sides of the James River. Well, they have striven to capture this city from every point of the [...]

FEBRUARY 16th.—Another gun-boat has got past Vicksburg. But three British steamers have run into Charleston with valuable cargoes. Gem Lee is now sending troops to Charleston, and this strengthens the report that Hooker’s army is leaving the Rappahannock. They are probably crumbling to pieces, under the influence of the peace party growing up in the [...]

FEBRUARY 15th.—Already, as if quite certain that the great Northwest would speedily withdraw from the Eastern United States, our people are discussing the eventualities of such a momentous occurrence. The most vehement opposition to the admission of any of the non-slaveholding States, whose people have invaded our country and shed the blood of our people, [...]

FEBRUARY 14th.—A beautiful day. Yet Gen. Lee is giving furloughs, two to each company. If the weather should be dry, perhaps Hooker will advance: a thing desired by our people, being confident of his destruction. The papers issued extras to-day with news from the Northwest, based upon the account of a “reliable gentleman,” who has [...]

FEBRUARY 13th.—There is a rumor in the papers that something like a revolution is occurring, or has occurred, in the West; and it is stated that the Federal troops demand the recall of the Emancipation Proclamation. They also object to serving with negro troops. But we ought to look for news of terrific fighting at [...]

FEBRUARY 12th.—Congress has not yet restricted the class of exempts, and the work of conscription drags heavily along. All under forty-five must be called, else the maximum of the four hundred regiments cannot be kept up. It reminds me of Jack Falstaff’s mode of exemption. The numerous employees of the Southern Express Co. have been [...]

FEBRUARY 11th.—There is a rumor that Major-Gen. Gustavus W. Smith has tendered his resignation. Some idea may be formed of the scarcity of food in this city from the fact that, while my youngest daughter was in the kitchen to-day, a young rat came out of its hole and seemed to beg for something to [...]

FEBRUARY 10th.—No stirring news yet. The enemy’s fleet is at Port Royal, S. C. Everywhere we are menaced with overwhelming odds. Upon God, and our own right arms, we must rely, and we do rely. To-day, in cabinet council, it is believed it was decided to call out all conscripts under forty-five years of age. [...]

FEBRUARY 9th.—Gen. Lee requests that all dispatches passing between his headquarters and the War Department be in cipher. He says everything of importance communicated, he has observed, soon becomes the topic of public conversation; and thence is soon made known to the enemy. The iron-clad gun-boat, which got past Vicksburg, has been up the Red [...]

FEBRUARY 8th.—From intelligence received yesterday evening, it is probable the Alabama, Harriet Lane, and Florida have met off the West Indies, and turned upon the U.S. steamer Brooklyn. The account says a large steamer was seen on fire, and three others were delivering broadsides into her. The United States press thought the burning steamer was [...]

FEBRUARY 7th.—We have a dispatch from Texas, of another success of Gen. Magruder at Sabine Pass, wherein he destroyed a large amount of the enemy’s stores. But we are calmly awaiting the blow at Charleston, or at Savannah, or wherever it may fall. We have confidence in Beauregard. We are more anxious regarding the fate [...]

FEBRUARY 6th.—Gen. Lee thinks Charleston will be assailed, and suggests that all the troops in North Carolina be concentrated near Wilmington, and he will undertake the defense of the rest of the State. Nevertheless, if the government deems it more important to have his troops sent to North Carolina, than to retain them for the [...]

FEBRUARY 5th.—It snowed again last night. Tuesday night the mercury was 8° below zero. A dispatch from Gen. Beauregard says sixty sail of the enemy have left Beaufort, N. C., for Charleston. A British frigate (Cadmus) has arrived at Charleston with intelligence that the Federal fleet of gun-boats will attack the city immediately; and that [...]

FEBRUARY 4th_–One of the enemy’s iron-clad gunboats has got past our batteries at Vicksburg. Gem Pemberton says it was struck “three times.” But it is through. The enemy’s presses reiterate the assertion that Gen. Longstreet is in Tennessee with his corps; and that the detachments from Gen. Lee’s army amount to 75,000 men. This is [...]

FEBRUARY 3d.—It appears that Gen. Pryor’s force, 1500 strong, was attacked by the enemy, said to be 5000 in number, on the Blackwater. After some shelling and infantry firing, Gen. P. retired some eight miles, and was not pursued. Our loss was only fifty; it is said the enemy had 500 killed and wounded; but [...]

FEBRUARY 2d.—After the feat at Charleston, Gen. Beauregard and Commodore Ingraham invited the consuls resident to inspect the harbor, and they pronounced the blockade raised, no United States ship being seen off the coast. Then the general and the commodore issued a proclamation to the world that the port was open. If this be recognized, [...]

FEBRUARY 1st.—The Virginia Legislature, now in session, has a bill under discussion for the suppression of extortion. One of the members, Mr. Anderson, read the following table of the prices of AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE. Before the war. Now White wheat, per bushel $1 50 White wheat, per bushel $4 50 Flour, per barrel 7 50 Flour, [...]

JANUARY 31st.—We have dispatches from Charleston, to-day, which reconcile us to the loss of the cargo captured by the blockading squadron early in the week. An artillery company captured a fine gun-boat in Stone River (near Charleston) yesterday evening. She had eleven guns and 200 men. But this morning we did better still. Our little [...]

JANUARY 30th.—There is a rumor that Kentucky has voted to raise an army of 60,000 men to resist the execution of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Fort Caswell, below Wilmington, has been casemated with iron; but can it withstand elongated balls weighing 480 pounds? I fear not. There are, however, submarine batteries; yet these may be avoided, [...]

JANUARY 29th.—It appears from the Northern press that the enemy did make three attempts last week to cross the Rappahannock; but as they advanced toward the stream, the elements successfully opposed them. It rained, it snowed, and it froze. The gun carriages and wagons sank up to the hubs, the horses to their bodies, and [...]

JANUARY 28th.—The bombardment of Fort McAlister continued five hours yesterday, when the enemy’s boats drew off. The injury to the fort can be repaired in a day. Not a man was killed or a gun dismounted. The injury done the fleet is not known. But the opinion prevails here that if the bombardment was continued [...]