FEBRUARY 28th.—Bright, cool, and dusty. No war news; nor denial or confirmation of the wonderful victory of Forrest in Mississippi. That he captured the enemy’s artillery and drove them back, is official.
Longstreet has retired from before Knoxville; perhaps to assault Nashville, or to penetrate Kentucky.
Yesterday the Secretary ordered Col. Northrop to allow full rations of meal to the engineer corps; to-day he returns the order, saying: “There is not sufficient transportation for full rations to the troops in the field.”
Last night the Secretary sent for Mr. Ould, exchange agent, and it is thought an exchange of prisoners will be effected, and with Butler. A confidential communication may have been received from Butler, who is a politician, and it may be that he has offered secret inducements, etc. He would like to establish a trade with us for tobacco, as he did for cotton and sugar when he was in New Orleans. No doubt some of the high officials at Washington would wink at it for a share of the profits.
The Southern Express Company (Yankee) has made an arrangement with the Quartermaster-General to transport private contributions of supplies to the army–anything to monopolize the railroads, and make private fortunes. Well, “all’s well that ends well,” –and our armies may be forced to forage on the enemy.
I copy this advertisement from a morning paper:
“NOTICE.–Owing to the heavy advance of feed, we are compelled to charge the following rates for boarding horses on and after the 1st of March:
Board per month……………………………………….$300.00
” ” day……………….…………………………….15.00
Single feed………..………………………………….5.00
“Virginia Stables. JAMES C. JOHNSON,
W. H. SUTHERLAND,
B. W. GREEN.”
Congress and the President parted at the adjournment in bad temper. It is true everything was passed by Congress asked for by the Executive as necessary in the present exigency—a new military bill, putting into the service several hundred thousand more men, comprising the entire male population between the ages of 17 and 50; the tax and currency bills, calculated to realize $600,000,000 or $800,000,000; and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. These were conceded, say the members, for the sake of the country, and not as concessions to the Executive. But the Commissary-General’s nomination, and hundreds of others, were not sent into the Senate, in derogation of the Constitution; and hundreds that were sent in, have not been acted on by the Senate, and such officers now act in violation of the Constitution.
Dill’s Government Bakery, Clay Street, is now in flames—supposed to be the work of an incendiary. Loss not likely to be heavy.