Pilot Town, Feb. 9th. We have been lying to anchor here for over two days, for the reason that there has not been sufficient depth of water on the bar to admit of our crossing. At eleven thirty A. M., pilot came on board and reported water enough. At noon, got under way and steamed [...]

February 9, 1863, The New York Herald The American press and public have been exceedingly lenient with Barnum. They have allowed him to make money by humbugging innocent people, and more money by selling a book telling how well his humbugs have succeeded. Recently, however, he has taken altogether too bold an advantage of this [...]

February 9, 1863, The Charleston Mercury The blockading vessel off the port of St. Marks disappeared on Thursday, the 29th ult., and her place was taken by a gunboat, which remained in the blockader’s position until last Sunday, the 1st inst., when she came into the Spanish Hole and anchored off the Light House, opposite [...]

February 9, 1863, The Charleston Mercury PORT HUDSON, February 6, – Deserters are constantly coming in from the enemy’s fleet at Baton Rouge. For the past two weeks two per day have arrived. All concur in confirming the reported disaffection in BANKS’ army. They state that numerous officers have resigned in consequence of the arrival [...]

February 9, 1863, The Charleston Mercury Parties who accompanied Mr. BUNCH to the British steamer Cadmus, on Saturday afternoon, bring us some additional information, though not of the most agreeable character, in regard to the late naval action. If the statements given by the officers of the Cadmus be true, the substantial fruits of our [...]

Monday, February 9th, 1863. Night. A letter from my dear little Jimmy! How glad I am, words could not express. This is the first since he arrived in England, and now we know what has become of him at last. While awaiting the completion of the ironclad gunboat to which he has been appointed, like [...]

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 8, 1863, The New York Herald The Union Ram Queen of the West Successfully Rams the Blockade. Sketch of the Queen of the West and Her Commander. The Queen of the West is one of the celebrated ram fleet organized by the late Colonel Charles Ellet, Jr., and now commanded by his son, Brigadier [...]

February 8, 1863, The New York Herald A court martial lately convened at Washington, to consider certain charges brought against General Fitz John Porter, found him guilty, and, upon the verdict of the court, he was dismissed by the President in disgrace from the army, and forever excluded from office under the federal government. It [...]

February 8, 1863, The New York Herald There is no news from the Rappahannock today. The condition of the roads is such as to prohibit all possibility of any advance movements. Rumors are afloat – although not substantiated – that the President was disposed to recall General McClellan to the command of the Army of [...]

Camp 103d Illinois Infantry, Jackson, Tenn., February 7, ’63. There was a dose of medicine administered to the command in this district yesterday that will certainly be productive of good. I already feel that it has indued me with fresh vigor and really made me quite young again. “The sale or introduction of the Chicago [...]

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 7, 1863, The New York Herald WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 1863. Much feeling is exhibited here in regard to the publication of a pamphlet purporting to be the evidence in full in the Fitz John Porter trial. This is a base and most contemptible swindle, the evidence for the defence, which is threefold more lengthy [...]

February 7, 1863, The New York Herald Our White Oak Church Correspondence. NEAR WHITE OAK CHURCH, Va., Feb. 4, 1863. The weather yesterday was terribly severe. Although it was clear, there were high winds and a freezing temperature to penetrate the flimsy shelter tents or dash down the chimneys of the soldiers’ huts, and scatter [...]

February 7, 1863, The Charleston Mercury BANKS is weaving a net of despotism over that portion of our sister State, the meshes of which are more subtle than the policy of BUTLER. The latter was open in his tyranny, and the brutal and rigorous manner in which he enforced his edicts, only served to strengthen [...]

February 7, 1863, The Charleston Mercury It is a well ascertained fact that South Carolina has within her bosom the purest Iron ores that can be found upon the globe. Commencing in Spartanburg, and running through the upper portions of Union and York Districts, there exist vast beds of the finest magnetic, hematite and limonite [...]

February 7, 1863, The New York Herald There is nothing further of importance from Charleston today later than our former despatches. The Army of the Potomac is still quiescent. The roads, after the late storm, are in sad condition, rendering all movements impossible. By an arrival at Suffolk from Richmond we learn that the new [...]

Feb. 6th. Since my last entry nothing has occurred worthy of note. This morning at ten thirty all hands were called to up anchor; got under way and stood down the river; at seven P. M., came to anchor off Pilot Town.

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 6, 1863, The New York Herald Despatches received from Fortress Monroe at Washington yesterday, state that the blockade at Charleston was not interrupted for any considerable time by the dispersion of the Union fleet on Saturday, the 31st of January. While there can be no doubt that the port was opened by the sudden [...]

February 6, 1863, The Charleston Mercury The report of the Secretary of War recently sent into Congress, communicates some interesting and most encouraging information in relation to our military affairs, and present the encouraging conclusion that our army is fully equal, if not superior, in all the elements of strength, to what it has been [...]

February 6, 1863, The New York Herald Our Fortress Monroe Correspondence. FORTRESS MONROE, Feb. 4, 1863. Late Richmond advices have reached us this morning, from which I learn that (according to rebel statements) the blockade of Charleston harbor has been raised by two rams engaging our fleet, sinking the United States gunboat Mercedita and compelling [...]

February 6, 1863, The New York Herald We learn from the Richmond papers which arrived yesterday that immediately after the scattering of our vessels by the rebel rams in the recent unfortunate affair at Charleston a Confederate steamer was despatched to Nassau to give formal notice to the authorities there of the raising of the [...]