September 7th.—Clear and cool; rained in the night.
Gen. J. H. Morgan is dead,—surprised and killed in Tennessee,—and his staff captured.
Gen. Hood telegraphs that the enemy is still retreating—toward Atlanta, I suppose.
The cruiser Tallahassee having run into Wilmington, that port is now pretty effectually closed by an accumulation of blockaders.
It is said Gen. Forrest has blown up Tunnel Hill; if so, Sherman must be embarrassed in getting supplies of ordnance stores.
Sir Wm. Armstrong has sent from England one or two splendid guns (a present) to our government, with equipments, etc. And the manufacturers have presented us with a battery of Whitworth guns, six in number, but they have not arrived yet.
September 8th.—Bright and cool; subsequently cloudy and warm.
Dispatches from Gen. Hood (Sept. 7th) state—1st dispatch: that Sherman still holds his works one and a half miles from Jonesborough. 2d dispatch, same date: “Sherman continues his retreat!” He says, in a 3d dispatch, that Sherman visited the hospitals, and said he would rest awhile at Atlanta, and then march away to Andersonville, where we keep the Federal prisoners. Although Hood attaches no importance to declarations from such a source, yet he deems it a matter of first importance to remove the prisoners, which suggestion Gen. Bragg refers to the Secretary of War without remark. Gen. Hood also urges the reinforcing of his army from the trans-Mississippi Department. He is sending a brigade to Opelika, to await a raid.
Gen. Forrest has been ordered, the President approving, to Middle Tennessee; but, contrary to his desire, he is not allowed to proclaim amnesty to the thousands of deserters expected to join him, so firmly do the President and Gen. Bragg adhere to Gen. Lee’s advice never to proclaim pardon in advance to deserters, even at this critical epoch in our affairs.
All of us have been made sick by eating red peas, or rather overeating.