Circular of the Union Defence Committee of the City of New York, April 24, 1861.

Union Defence Committee of the City of New York,

No. 30 Pine Street, April 24, 1861.

Sir, — At a meeting of the citizens of New York, held on Saturday, 20th instant, a committee was appointed to represent the citizens in the collection of funds, and the transaction of such other business in aid of the movements of the government as the public interests might require.

The undersigned have been appointed a Committee of Correspondence, in behalf of the General Committee constituted at the public meeting, and take leave respectfully to say that they will be happy to receive any communications of information, advice, or suggestion on the subject of the present state of public affairs, and to convey any information which they possess or may receive that will advance the public interests.

With this view they subjoin a copy of the organization of the Union Defence Committee and the address of each member of the Committee of Correspondence, and beg that any subject of interest may be communicated, either by mail or by telegraph, to any member of the General Committee, and they promise immediate attention thereto.

They beg to be advised of the organization of any similar committees of citizens with which they may put themselves in communication.

With great respect, your obedient servants,

Hamilton Fish,	Committee of Correspondence
William M. Evarts,
Edwards Pierrepont,
James T. Brady,
John J. Cisco,

N.B. — The Committee has rooms at No. 30 Pine Street, open all day; and at Fifth Avenue Hotel, open in the evening.

Committee.

JOHN A. DIX,	MOSES TAYLOR,
MOSES H. GRINNELL,	EDWARDS PIERREPONT,
ROYAL PHELPS,	RICHARD M. BLATCHFORD,
WILLIAM E. DODGE,	ALEXANDER T. STEWART
GREENE C. BRONSON,	HAMILTON FISH,
WILLIAM M. EVARTS,	SAMUEL SLOAN,
JOHN J. CISCO,	JOHN JACOB ASTOR,
JAMES T. BRADY.	WM. F. HAVEMEYER,
SIMEON DRAPER,	CHARLES H. RUSSELL,
JAMES S. WADSWORTH,	RUDOLPH A. WITTHAUS,
ISAAC BELL,	CHARLES H. MARSHALL,
JAMES BOORMAN,	PROSPER M. WETMORE,
ABIEL A. LOW,	ROBERT H. McCURDY
THEODORE DEHON,	AUGUSTUS C. RICHARDS

Ex-officio.

FERNANDO WOOD, Mayor,	HENRY W. GENET, President of Board of Aldermen.
ROBERT T. HAWS, Comptroller,	MORGAN JONES, President of Board of Councilmen.

President. 

JOHN A. DIX.

Vice-President. 

SIMEON DRAPER.

Secretary. 

WILLIAM M. EVARTS.

Treasurer. 

THEODORE DEHON.

Executive Committee.

SIMEON DRAPER, Chairman,	PROSPER M. WETMORE,
JAMES S. WADSWORTH,	JOHN J. ASTOR,
MOSES H. GRINNELL,	AUGUSTUS C. RICHARDS,
ISAAC BELL,	RICHARD M. BLATCHFORD,
SAMUEL SLOAN,	CHARLES H. MARSHALL.

                                                                                               

Committee on Finance.

CHAS. H. RUSSELL, Chairman,	THEODORE DEHON,		ABIEL A. LOW.
MOSES TAYLOR,		JAMES BOORMAN.

Committee of Collections and Subscriptions.

A. T. STEWART, Chairman,	WM. E. DODGE,	ROBT. H. McCURDY,
WM. F. HAVEMEYER,	ROYAL PHELPS,	R. A. WITTHAUS

Committee of Correspondence and Publications.

HAMILTON FISH, Chairman, No. 134 E. Seventeenth Street,

WM. M. EVARTS, No. 2 Hanover St.,

E. PIERREPONT, No. 16 Wall St.,

JAS. T. BRADY, No. 111 Broadway,

JOHN J. CISCO, No. 52 Wall Street.

SOURCE: Morgan Dix, Memoirs of John Adams Dix, Volume 2, p. 11-12

From Washington

Tribune Correspondence.

NEW YORK, Feb. 14.

The committee on the conduct of the war, to-day, in examining the case of Gen. Stone, discovered new facts, which divide the responsibility of the blunder at Ball’s Bluff between Gen. Stone and another General.

Previous to the discharge of Wikoff, the committee on the judiciary examined Gen. Sickles, whose frequent visits to the incarcerated Wikoff and his journeys from the cell to the residents of ex-Lieut. Watt at the other end of the avenue, had excited suspicion.  Sickles claimed to be Wikoff’s counsel, and to have acted throughout in that capacity.  The committee put some home questions to him, he replied sharply, and for a few minutes a war of words raged.  While his examination was pending, the Sergeant-at-Arms appeared with Watt.  He testified that he saw the message in the library, and being of a literary turn of mind perused it; that, however, he did not make a copy, but having a tenacious memory, carried portions of it in his mind, and the next day reported them word for word to Wikoff.  That personage had previously testified that the passage transmitted to the Herald was given him by Watt orally.

WASHINGTON, February 14.

Hamilton Fish and Bishop Ames returned to Washington to-day and made a report to the Government of their mission to relieve Union prisoners in the south.

They repaired to Fortress Monroe, and made known their commission to the Confederate authorities at Norfolk, by whom the matter was referred to Richmond.  A reply came, refusing the commissioners admission to the Confederate Territory, but expressing readiness to negotiate for the general exchange of prisoners.  Our commissioners opened negotiations which resulted in perfect success.  An equal exchange was agreed on, but the confederates had 300 more prisoners than we.  With commendable magnanimity, they proposed to release those also, on condition that our Government would agree to release 300 of their men that they may next fall into its hands.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.

Mrs. Senator Chandler has received a letter from Col. Wilcox, who says that himself and other prisoners at Columbia, S. C. are in good health and that their condition has been rendered comfortable by the clothing received from the United States authorities.

The Oregon Democrat and the Los Angeles and California Star have been suppressed from the mails, on the ground that they have been used for the purpose of overthrowing the Government and giving aid and comfort to the enemy now at war with the United States.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, February 17, 1862, p. 1

Official Report of the taking of Roanoke Island

FT. MONROE, February 13.

The gun-boat Stars and Stripes arrived this noon from Burnside’s expedition with a bearer of dispatches for the Government.  They report the rout of the rebels as complete.  Three thousand prisoners were captured, and all their gun-boats burned or captured except two, which escaped in the canal.  The Federal loss in killed is 42, wounded about 140.  Rebels killed about 30 and their wounded less than 100.

The advance from Hatteras took place on Wednesday morning, consisting of about 60 vessels.  The fleet anchored off Stumpy Point that night and the next day proceeded to the entrance of Cotton Sound.  After a reconnoisance the attack commenced.  On Friday morning the Underwriter led on the column.  The rebel fleet was attacked and dispersed in half an hour by the navy, while the remainder attacked the lad batteries.  The fight continued till dark.

During the night ten thousand men were landed, and on Sunday morning 7,000 more.  A masked battery of three guns was soon discovered by skirmishers, and was attacked in front and both flanks.

The 21^st, 25^th and 27^th Mass., the 9^th and 51^st N. Y. and the 10^th Conn. Were particularly engaged.  The 25^th Mass. And the 10^th Conn. suffered most severely.

The fight lasted only two or three hours, when the battery was abandoned.  Our troops pursued, surrounded the rebel camp and took nearly the whole command prisoners.

O. Jennings Wise was shot twice while endeavoring to escape in a bot.  Col. Russell, of the 10^th Conn., was killed at the head of his regiment.  Col. D. Montelle, of the Depennel Zouaves, whose Zouaves were voluntary, was killed.  No other officers were killed above the rank of Lieutenant.  Our total loss in killed and wounded is less than 200, and the number of killed less than 50.

On Sunday P. M. a fleet of fifteen gun-boats started for Elizabeth City.  The place was shelled, and having been evacuated and partially burned by the rebel troops, was occupied.

The Sea Bird, which was the flag ship of Com. Lynch, was run down and boarded, and the gallant Commodore escaped by swimming to shore.

The news from Elizabeth City was received at Roanoke Island on Monday eve.

Gen. Wise was at Nag’s Head and succeeded in escaping to Norfolk.

The rebels made no fight after being driven from their entrenchments, which was done by the Hawkins’ Zouaves and the 21^st Mass.  Young Wise resisted the storming parties till he was wounded and carried off, when his command retreated with the others to the upper part of the island, where they laid down their arms.

Elizabeth City was about half burnt by the rebel soldiers.  The people sent a delegation to Com. Golsborough, asking him to send a force to assist in extinguishing the flames.

Edenton was taken possession of on Wednesday, by Com. Goldsborough, no opposition being offered.

Norfolk and Richmond papers attribute the loss of Roanoke Island to the blundering inefficiency of the navy.  They still persist in asserting that 1000 Federals were killed; they also charged some Roanoke Island farmer with directing and piloting the Yankees to the only point they could effect a landing, the landing being flanked on all sides by an extensive march.

A dispatch from Memphis to Norfolk, admits the Federal flag was cheered on Tennessee River, by people, and assert that the Federals neither seized nor destroyed any private property, not even cotton.

Gov. Letcher issued an order for the formation of home guards, for the defense of Norfolk, Petersburg and Richmond.

Bishop Ames and Hon. H. Fish returned to Baltimore, the rebels refusing to receive them.

The Richmond Dispatch says, our Tennessee exchanges give us gloomy prospects for the future in that part of the Confederacy.  Several leading journals intimate plainly that there is really a threatening state of affairs in East Tennessee, growing out of the idolatrous love of many of those people to the old Union.  The correspondent of the Memphis Avalanche writes that the condition of the interior counties is not improved by the lapse of time.  The people apprehend an immediate advance of the Northern men, and traitors to the south evince their joy.  In every village and neighborhood, the Unionists are making demonstrations.  In many of the Northern counties and even at Memphis there were exhibitions of joy on the arrival of the news at Beach Grove.  Armed bands of Johnson’s and Maynard’s followers are prowling about all directions through the mountains.  In the remote counties in the State men have been shot at night in their own houses, who adhered to the fortunes of the South.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Saturday Morning, February 15, 1862, p. 1

Fort Monroe, Feb. 10 [1862]

Deserters, contrabands, came to camp here this P.M. having been found by a scouting party. One was a member of the black Virginia cavalry who were engaged in the skirmish at New Market Bridge, on Dec. 22, with Max Weber’s regiment. – He was completely armed with carbine pistol, &c., and had a considerable amount of rebel money. They present a great scarcity of provisions.

The bark Trinity arrived this p.m. from Boston with forty-five released prisoners in charge of Lieut. Buell, to be exchanged. It is expected that Bishop Ames & Hon. Ham. Fish will accompany the prisoners when they are sent over in the morning.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Wednesday Morning, February 12, 1862, p. 1