SECESSION PARASOLS AND FEDERAL FLAGS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 237, 23 September 1862, Page 5

SECESSION PARASOLS AND FEDERAL FLAGS.

An amuaing anecdote is given by the New York correspondent of The Times in a letter published toh " All t"«e portions of fhe South that have been occupied by the "Federal armies the ladies and the clergy remain more obstinately "rebellious"; than the rest of the community. " Merchants, traders and professional meni. with an eye to business and the almighty dollar," keep as quiet as possible, and; United States," which some say they can do without treason to the Confederate States, which are also united, and have as much right to the name as the ftorth, they prtufeatlr Attend to their business, in the cherished, but umitterod hope of better times Not so the ladies and th» preachers, neither of whoni attach such supreme importance to the dollar as other people, and who claim the privilege of the petticoat in the one case and of the cloth in the other, of speakin" their minds without fear of the consequences. A little incident that has just occurred at Norfolk—a city under martial law—will serve to shew the animus of the better half of creation under circumstances that might well abate even feminine zeal. Nothing dauntedT by the recent reverses of the South, the ladj« OEtenLitionsly carry parasols representing the Confederate flag, and wear upon their bosoms and in their bonnets the colors and other symbols of their cans;. In crossing over to Portsmouth in the ferryboats they have made it a practice to unfurl their parasols, and flaunt them in the faces of the Federal Guards stationed at each side, much to the annoyance of the men and officers on duty. Instead, however, of imitating the bad example of General Butler, and calling them by vile names, the officer ordered that "the stars and stripes" should be hoisted over the gangway, so that every lady passing from the ferry-boat would be compelled to walk under it, or return the way the «ame. This so annoyed the women—for whose unreasonableness no excuse can be offered—that they complained to-the military Governor that they had i been insulted by his soldiers. A commission was immediately appointed to investigate the charge Th<» result, after a great deal of bad blood ha-l been shown on both sides, was that the ferry-boat itself was ordered to be decorated with a large Union ik". C>nseqacDtlv, every person who wishes to goto Ported mouth must sit or *tand under the hated emblem, or remain at home. . The LvJies are exasperated and the nwre so, perhaps, aa they cannot accuse the military Governor of baying exceeded his duty as a soldier, or forgotten it as a gentleman, in his mana"ement ol the case.— Globe. wm o <-

A LADY'S EXPERIENCES OF CIVIL WAH. A lady, resident at Winchester in Western Virginia, ihe wife of a Confederate general, writes to a tneud some account of the events that have been goin- on aronnd her. The foliowirig pasaaee relates to the retreat of General Banks before "Stonewall" Jackson in May :—

Lite bounds of the tpin 3 came nearer snd nearer • then tbe joyml sight of the artillery ia rapid retreat' ; The men looking sullen and dopasd. d'hea came cavalry, hurrying and jostJing each other in th"ir anxiety to get out of the way of our soldiers; then the streets and pavements were filled with iufantry mauv throwing away their knapsacks and wntteveV would impede their fltght. We were so excited that we never thought of the personal danger in irtandin? on oasup^ as a defeated acd disgraced enemy were ra^Li.»' by. To be tbe flrtt to welcome our deliverers to find out which were safe, was our only thourfit. 'As the Ut rcpiment wheeled round Picead illy? there was a profound sik-nce. In a few moment* there enme the ppid report of mutketry, as our men dashed into town a few dannff ones preceding their regiments, and firing on the straggling Yankees who could n^ ktep up With their more fleet-footed companions At that moment we were in real danger. SbeUs were fflyniK arouud us. The leaves were shot off the tree immediately in front of our door while I was standing i m it. T,\ c yent in the house for a few moments only, I and as I returned to the porch saw tho first Conf*d£ rate soldier. _ Then came our hour of triumph- and each oue evinced, in their own peculiar-way,'their pleasure at seeing our deliverersT Kone but those wiio had eadnred the bondage ceuld realise the joy of freedom. As fiiends afwr friends passed, hurried p-estings were exchanged. The cry from all w-s l>oa; stop us, ladies!'» They were pursuing the retreating ice. Tne cavalry followed him to &arUnßbarjh The infantry camped about ax miles below Winchester, utterly exhausted by fatigue and

When the Confederates retired and the Federal : troop* again occupied Winchester, th<%irriter' 3 house was federal times examined for Secession flags i About noon Major Blanchard and the same insolent I captain who had forced himself into my house the, day before came to make another search for the fk<-saying-that they bad orders to rip open beds and pull i had committed it for safe keeping, my name should not be mentioned. I sUeaeed hiiu ao completely by my Lu m,t of ludiSnation that he had not a word to say. Tbe major believed me when I told him the tlag was cot in the bouse, and that he could not find it He consented to wait till I went to the provon to ascertain the cause of this new order, he bavintold me m the morning he waa satis Sal. He said one of the BDrpecns had told him that I %vaved an elegnnt nlk Secession flag over their retreating troops the morning of tbe 25th. When I told him it was untrue, he was enough of a eer.tleinan to taks my word, and said I should not again be molested till further orders, which have not be*n gmn so far. It happened that Dr. w» j a the office when Dr. made this false charge arsnnst me. Tbe prorost was very much excited and said, ''\ea tW Mrs.- — came down here and palavered me, so tltat she made medo exacfiv what she wanted then ; as sooa as Jackson comes she will %-avc a Secession fla^ as bi- as this room over him.' I have the setitiuel before my door alldav and deeping in the front hall by night I have Riven you this minute detail, not because it was important, but to show the petty malice of our enemies. There was no pretext for annoying me, but as we are known to have always been warm Secessionists, and active in doing ail we can for the cause and our army we are obnoxious. The few Unionists here hand' over our houses to the Yankees, and make every variety of false accusations.— Globe

SKETCH OP A FEDERAL ENCAMPMENT. A letter in the Times, from Hill's Plantation on the P&munkey River, describes the scene c! a Federal eiuarapment at that place: I am writing to you from a most lovely spot, on th» S kß twwei cffen?» n?f ul?*»«nke; River; wSch! jo& 'K^f 11 the Mattaptoy, forms the '» M WL ftv?i L am in the verandah of .an old substantial brick house, where Washington first met bis wife, in the shadow and fragrance of Honeysuckles and wild roses. Just above my head a j couple of wrens-are building their nest, and no-* and ! then a. humming-bird comes to visit- the blooming j splendour around, me, vying i B beauty with largi ; butterflxes of exotic appearance. Before me, on an Otahettan mulberry tree, a mocking-bird is pouriujr out i<* p sweetest notes, which Kwbtffe very oftef those of the nightingale. Between zaeSind the river is a lawn with shady trees; and to my right along the bank, extending up to the camp at White House" Landing, a thick grove of great beauty, watered by *mall streamlets running parallel with the riveri and , consisting of admirable trees, festooned with wild grape and other creepers. Here and there the magnificent white flowers of a inangolia shine amou<* the green darkness, sendiner forth with the gentle breeze the most delicious fragrancy. Kight before me Colonel Ingall, Chief of the Quartermasters Staff, has pitched his tents; and fieldworn dirty train soldiers have established their teX holdL° a tfe law' 11-~, The &0™ above-mentioned has been trampled pown ),y men and horses, and thd banks of the pure streamleta have been converted mto quagmires. Along the whole way from hereto the White House are camps to the right and the left but not such camps as are an ornament fora landscape, but wretched and beggarly-lookW « mn , filtiry and disorderly and Smpr^iy^g negro fannhe* which have established them/elves in tents and huts among the soldiers. To watch this war is disgusting: both to an educated soldier and to an honest man, for nowhere is to be t^r^- 11"^ 17!6111^ and mQre dishonesty than in this brave American army. You must not wonder if I get warm and bitter. The whole muddle does not affect me personally in the least, but I cannot help feeling as a soldier and a man. You have not seen the poor fellows in the hospitals, or returnins from the camps, to die at home of sicknesses which might have been prevented by a little care and a little more honesty. Some that I nave seen are, without being ill. emaciated and! weak from sheer want. They cannot bear suitable food, from having lived for weeks on biscuits, bad coffee, and swamp water, and breathed the foul and poisonous air of swampy woods during their Bleep. lam not very Ben^mentaT and no Sybarite either ; but my heart aches and tears fill my eyts on bearing the simple tales of these poor fellow! and looking into their emaciated faces. ' On my way to this plantation from the cami> I saw before me some tents surrounded with curious feT~« 111*11*1 oa whjcll was written witMlarge letters, "Dra. Brown and Alexander, Government Embalaen,'' They are not to embalm the O^S

ment however, bat only those who require it by the care of the Government. My Irish gentleman ; friend was acquainted with the doctor— 1 do not know | whether Biown or Alexander, but. we found him sitting on a mat in his drawers and shirt, with a large diamond pin in the latter rather muddycoloured garment. " Take a drink V Of coarse. Old Bourbon whisky and krge tumblers. That once over I began asking questions. The doctors were doing a large business; there behind were four corpses. " See them 1" Of course, poor fellows! none of them shot, all died of {ever. The doctors told me their principal ingredient for anbaiming was a kind of liquid glas3 and gypsum, which hardened to a substance like stune In this state the body would keep for many years, perhaps tor ever. The Indies looked well-preserved, although not very agreeable. The doctors took for embalming f ft n!£ te2.odo!s-» and tor an officer 50 dols. I was war above JOOO oodles O f soldiers had been embalmed and sent" box« I;^f done by Adams's Express, in deal Srf S?tJ Wl£«»wet sine. The poor fellow-1 saw S eo°/tt yb Dder hh fa(ad and«"; ■*££ <s^ i" Ste ' L<J WaS £eat home to his mourning

i^inVt^^^l^ 4 Wrights 4 Mm«. 17 SteSrtT? Couner ' Taylors, 1 Hunter : 2 Forrester and 3 Co2^ritk Cnrne; a Lyon with a Main; a Cow ami o• oLi? a Leitch. a Dickie, 2 Stirling "^1 m ; a Longmnir in which grow 3 EoLs a Srr*?'.?^ W^es o. Blacks, 4 Keids, 2 Greys; a Fairley and a &S-?' : Bogie and a Sage - a Gentle, a CrL, and ?fe , I' lT ial ci:' aud Fosrtreather: a Little CWn* and 3 Pairbairns; MVe-cVI freland, 1 Nairn i louu^, 1 \dd, anrt an Elder; Hastie Walkers to Beg- at Guthrie, in Hope of beinjeniiXteSd b?