Macomb Journal

Latest News.

            We at last have the pleasure of announcing that the grand army of the Potomac has moved, and moved to some purpose. Grant’s whole army have crossed Rapidan, and, after three days hard fighting succeeds in driving Lee from the field. Lee left his dead and wounded in our hands. Our news is up to Saturday. Burnside had arrived at the battle ground on Friday, but had not participated in the battle at last accounts.

We expect to have full particulars before our paper goes to press, and also the pleasure of chronicling a glorious victory for Grant.

Gen. Butler has landed at City Point and, after a fight with Beauregard succeeded in cutting off the communications between Richmond and Petersburg.

The rebels have been driven from Spotsylvania towards, Cane creek.

Notices from Richmond represent the great distress and wild disorder found there.

It is believed that Lee will make a stand at the North Anna river.

[?] has been received in Washington that the rebel ram in Albermale Sound has been attacked and [?] the United States steamer Su[?]

Dispatches from General Sherman, [?] and fighting for the position of Rocky Face Ridge, and that General McPherson took Snake Creek Gap and was seven miles from Resaca [?] On Saturday the rebels were forced from Tunnell Hill by [?] and took position at Buzzard’s Roost, just north of Dalton. This is represented as a very strong position, which Thomas was unable to drive them from on former occasions. Resaca is on the Railroad, about fifteen miles south of Dalton. This will place McPherson, with a strong Corps, in the enemy’s rear, while Thomas adv [rest of article obscured.]

Army Correspondence.

Camp near Rossville, Ga.,
April 25, 1864

            Last Saturday, [?] a party with some half dozen others in this regiment, I made a visit to the Chickamauga battle ground. This ground appears to be a point of much interest and attraction to citizens and soldiers, as upon every fair day may be seen groups of men roaming over the ground viewing the terrible evidences that remain of that awful conflict, and gathering relics to lay away as remembrances of the great battle. When I arrived upon the ground I found a number of such parties of soldiers already there most of whom had been engaged in the battle, and these were looking with sad interest upon the spot they had lain, or the tree behind which some of them had stood during the shower of shot and shell which rained about them. The whole country in that section is quite telling, and the various knolls afforded at times considerable protection to both armies. But it was in the desperate charges that were made that the greatest slaughter ensued. I soon found myself upon the spot where the 78th held their ground for more than three hours against largely superior numbers and where so many of our brave comrades sacrificed their lives upon the altar of our country. A rod or two in the rear of the line of where our regiment lay was a row of graves where rest the remains of these fallen heroes. They had been but thinly covered with dirt, and in two or three places I noticed the earth had washed away leaving a portion of the bodies exposed to view. – An order from the Department Headquarters has recently been issued requiring that the remains of all the Union soldiers that may be found upon or about the battle fields in this vicinity shall be carefully gathered up, enclosed in coffins, and deposited in the National cemetery which is now being laid out and beautified at Chattanooga. Captain Howden of Co. G, of this regiment has been selected to superintend the disinterment of the remains of those belonging to the 78th, and will go out tomorrow or next day with a squad of men for that purpose. I noticed in two or three places where some rebel bodies had been [?] imperfectly buried. In [obscured] which had been thrown only a few [?] such and old stumps [?] that bodies appeared to have dried [?] become hard [rest of sentence obscured.] There are a number of bones scattered about over the field which may be readily recognized as human bones, undoubtedly dropped where they are by the filthy buzzards.

[?] seem to abound and [obscured] by the spot where the 78th met the enemy there is not a tree [?] scarcely a bush that does not bear the marks of the hissing bullet or the screaming shell. In one tree near where the head of our regiment laid in the time of the battle one of our party counted fifty-six bullet marks. – There are to be seen in every direction limbs and trees lying about entirely cut down by the enemy’s shells. An oak tree, a foot or two from where Co. C was posted, was cut clean off by a shell about three feet from the ground, and at a point about one foot in diameter. – The shell appears to have exploded just as it struck the tree. One soldier was killed by it and two or three others wounded. The soldier killed was a stranger in the regiment. In the early part of the afternoon Col. Van Vleck had observed this soldier straggling, and upon questioning found that he had left his regiment, and as every man at that time was needed Col. Van Vleck ordered him into the ranks. He did good service in Co. G and that fatal shell severed both his legs and thus cut short his career.

After satisfying our curiosity to its fullest extent, and gathering a few relics, our little party started on its return to camp. Our route led us by a rude log cabin, which appeared to be occupied by a large family of children, where we concluded to halt for a drink of water. We found the family to consist of one old lady, about seventy years of age, her daughter who was then absent on a hunt for some old horse or mule to break their garden, and eight children varying in age from three to fourteen years. The husband of the old lady’s daughter was absent in the rebel army. This family had not a mouthful to eat except that which they obtained from the United States Commissary. They had been drawing rations from our government ever since the battle of Mission Ridge last fall. – And this is the condition of every family which remains in this section of the [?]. An order has recently been [?] rations to citizens. – [?] expense. We mentioned to this family the [?] of this [?] order, and found [obscured]. They were expecting to go into camp in a day or two to draw their usual ten day’s rations. The old lady inquired who had issued the order stopping rations to citizens, and we told her it was General Sherman. “Ah,” says she, “then it was not Mr. Lincoln – I know he would never do such a thing. He won’t let us starve, I’ll warrant.” She appeared to have great confidence in “Mister Lincoln,” as she called him. There was not one of the family that could read or write, and all, from the oldest to the youngest, chewed tobacco when they could get it. It is, in fact, a rare exception to find a woman in this country who does not use tobacco in some form. Before we reached camp we met an old woman on her return home from camp where she had been to procure rations. She stopped to talk with us, and noticing that Capt. Howden, one of our party, was smoking a pipe, she remarked, “I suppose, Captain, you chews as well as smokes?”

“Yes,” replied the Captain.

“And I reckon you use the very best kind of tobacker?”

“Well, yes, tolerably good,” replied the Captain; and taking her remark as a pretty strong hint that she would like to try the quality of it he took from his pocket a good sized plug and handed it to her, which she readily accepted, the Captain at the same time remarking, “You are out of tobacco, I suppose?”

“Oh, no,” says the old lady, “but I don’t like to get out!”

The Captain then showed her some of the relics he had gathered upon the battle field.

“This,” said the Captain, “is the small tree I caught hold of to prevent falling when shot in my left leg. I propose to make a cane out of it. And this is a splinter from the body of tree that was blown to atoms by the bursting of a shell within two feet from where I laid. And this,” continued the Captain, “is the root of another tree that was shot off close by my side. I shall make a pipe out of that.”

One of our party who had not seen fit to gather any relics, but determined to receive as much notice from the old lady as any body else, stepped forward with a huge stick which he had picked up somewhere, and was using as a cane, and addressing the old lady, remarked, —

“This is the identical club with which I rushed furiously at a rebel Colonel, and beat his brains out upon the ground. You notice that the end is splintered with the heavy strokes that I gave him.”

The old lady looked over her spectacles in surprise at the young man, and after gazing at him a moment or two, in a very subdued tone she asked him if he was not sorry for killing the Colonel so barbarously.

“Not at all,” he replied, “of course he deserved it.”

“It really seems to me,” said the old lady, “that I have seen you somewhere.”

“I haven’t the least doubt of it,” replied the young man, “and now as I look at you it strikes me that I have seen you somewhere.”

“Where was you born?” inquired the old lady.

“As near as I can recollect it was in Texas,” replied the young man.

“And where have you lived all your days,” continued the old lady.

“In North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.”

“What is your name?”

“Smith,” replied our comrade.

“Well,” says the old lady, “if I haven’t see you before I am sure I have seen some of your [?].”

We then left the old lady, the young man in question ruminating upon the omnipresent character of the Smith family.

We have recently ornamented and beautified our camp ground quite extensively. This country abounds in groves of pitch pine, and as this tree retains its greenness and freshness a log time after being cut down, they are just the thing with which to make an artificial forest, and hence we now have our camp shaded with this beautiful tree.

Indications are still gathering that a forward move is on the tapis. It is my own opinion that we will receive marching orders before the middle of May.

It is announced that we will be paid next week the four month’s pay due us on April 30th.

J. K. M.

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            Going to Camp. – Capt. B. M. Veatch will start to-day (Friday) from Tennessee with a company of 100 days’ men. The Captain lacks a few men to make up his company to the maximum number. We hope the boys in this city will see to it that he shall start off with a full company of 101 men by promptly enlisting in his company. As the idea has been abandoned of trying to raise a company in this city, our boys cannot do better than going with Capt. Veatch. The Captain has been in the service and thoroughly understands his “biz.”

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            Denies It. – We see by last week’s Quincy Herald that it denies having an “intelligent contraband” in its employ, as charged by the Quincy Whig and Republican. Well, the Herald need not deny it, for there is a young “American of African descent” working in that office, as we ourself saw a few days since while in Quincy, and from the manner in which he was addressed by “Massa Dave” and others in the office, we should infer that he was ‘employed’ there. Democrats don’t employ niggers. Oh, no! none but Abolitionists do that.

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            The Weather. – We have had a [?] of weather since our last. First we had some rain, then some more rain, then it rained, afterwards it – and finally , it got too cold to do much in the way of rain and it concluded in frost awhile; accordingly it frosted on Tuesday night. Overcoats and heating stoves were in great demand on Wednesday morning.

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            Horse and Cattle Hospital and “Rest.” – It may not be generally known that Macomb is the only city in this State, perhaps in the world, outside of [?], that has a hospital for diseased horses and cattle, and a “Rest” for broken down and tired out dumb beasts, but such is the fact. The Court House square has been fenced in and set apart for that purpose – whether by order of the Board of Supervisors or City Council we know not, nor do we care. Workmen have been employed this Spring to clear up the ground, take out all the brush, stones, brickbats, bones and other trash, so that “patients” should have an easy time of it. The commissary and sanitary departments are under the exclusive charge of farmers who come to the city to trade. They always bring a suitable supply of rations, so that owners of “patients” need not be at any outlay or expense in maintaining their stock while at the hospital. The hospital is conducted on the free principle, the entrances being so arranged that “patients” can admit themselves, either day or night, without the vexation of having to apply at headquarters for a permit.

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            No Go. – We announced last week that an effort was being made to raise a company of 100 days’ men, and we understood with good prospects of success – but

“The best laid plans of mice and men
Gang aft glee.”

for some cause or another, the plan has been dropped. It appears that our young men would rather stay at home and tie cans to dogs’ tails than try the realities of camp life, even for the short space of three months. Sensible pastime for our gallant (?) young men, and we have no doubt but the young ladies of this city honor them greatly for their bravery.

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            → Those who contemplate subscribing for the Journal at the old price of $1,50, should bear in mind, that the time will soon be out when they can do so. We shall exact the $2,00 after the first day of June. Roll in the names, for there is still room for a few more in our books, — if not we will have a book made to order large enough to hold them. We want two thousand subscribers by the 4th of July, and we can have them if our friends will exert themselves a little.

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            New Firm. – Mr. M. Strader and Mr. S. F. Wright have entered into co-partnership for the purpose of carrying on the boot and shoe, hat and cap business on an extensive scale. The goods that they have were bought before the late advance in prices, and they are therefore enabled to sell considerably cheaper than any other house. Their stock is large and well selected, and customers can rely on getting such an article as represented. They have a splendid stock of ladies and misses hats, trimmed and untrimmed, latest styles. They also manufacture all kinds of boots and shoes for ladies’ and gents’ wear. For particulars read their advertisement which will be found under the head of new advertisements.

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            Mowers and Reapers. – We would call attention to the advertisement in this paper, of Wood’s Combined and Single Self Raking Reaper and Prize Mowers.

These machines have been thoroughly tested by the farmers of the West since 1860, and if we may judge from the number of high prizes awarded to them, and and the very large number sold each year, they are all that they are represented to be.

– The Self Raker must take the place of Hand Raking Machines now that labor is so scarce and high priced.

And the light Mower the place of the more unweildy combined machines for cutting grass where separate machines can be afforded. Graham & Bro., Agents, Macomb, Ill.

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Graham & Brother

Dealers in

FARM MACHINERY,

Macomb,                    Illinois.

    FOR SALE, Plows, Corn Planters, Culti-
vators, Reapers, Mowers, Threshing Ma-
chines, &c.

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MILLINERY

And

DRESS MAKING.
Mrs. Jacobs,
Would Respectfully inform the Ladies of
Macomb, and adjoining towns, that she
has just returned from Chicago, with a well
selected Stock of
MILLINERY,
Flowers, Ribbons, Ruches, Hats, &c. Silk and
Straw Bonnets on hand at all times, and of
the best quality. All work warranted to give
satisfaction. New goods and new styles re-
ceived from Chicago soon. Ladies please
call before purchasing elsewhere, as I will sell
cheap for CASH.

Store East side of the Square.

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UNION           PLOW            WORKS.

350 of those celebrated

CLIPPER PLOWS.

250 DOUBLE SHOVELS.

75 Shanghai

49 of those

TWO HORSE RIDING CULTIVATORS,

Acknowledged to be the best plow in use. I
warrant all my work to be made of the best
material, and to give satisfaction.
Farmers and Dealers are invited to call and
examine for themselves at the

UNION PLOW WORKS.

Macomb, Illinois.

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FOR THE WOOL TRADE

OR

Cash for Wool.

The undersigned has the pleasure of an-
nouncing to the people of McDonough
and surrounding counties, that he has secur-
ed the best assortment of

WOOLEN GOODS,

for the Spring Wool Trade ever brought to
Macomb. The stock will consist of

Cassimeres,                      Satinets,

Tweeds,                              Flannels, (pl’d pl’n)

Unions,                               Jeans,

Coverlets,                          Blankets,

Stocking Yarns,              Carpet Yarn,

“and sundry other things too numerous to
mention.” I hope to please all who may fa-
vor me with their custom.

Thankful for past favors, I solicit a contin-
uance of the same.

HIGHEST MARKET PRICE

paid for Wool at all times.

John Venable.