Mobile Register

July 4, 1861

Page 2

Our Charleston Correspondence

Celebration of Twenty-Eighth June—Battle of Fort Moultrie—Mr. Carroll’s Oration—The Spanish Consul and the Blockading Fleet—Departure of a portion of the Hampton Legion—The Spy Hurlbut—Hardee’s Tactics—Col. McCrea’s Rangers—Manufacture of Matches and Artesian Soap—North Carolina Zinc and Coal—Privateering Vessels—Cotton, Provisions and Grocery Markets—Bank Dividends.

Charleston, June 21, 1861

Yesterday (the 28^th) was celebrated with considerable spirit by the Moultrie Guards, Palmetto Guards, and others of our patriotic military organizations. The members of these companies spent the forenoon at Mount Pleasant Village, opposite the city, where they practiced at target firing and returned to the city in the evening to hear the annual oration at Institate Hall, by B. R. Carroll, Esq., an honorary member of the Palmettos. The bells rang out their chimes merrily in honor of the occasion—the schools, many of them, were closed for the day, and business in some neighborhoods was entirely suspended. The admirable Oration of Mr. Carroll, who is well known as a diligent student and writer of Carolina history, is published in the morning papers and will be read with interest by many who were debarred the pleasure of hearing it.

The Spanish Consul sent down to the steam frigate Wabash, on Thursday, a communication requesting the commander of the fleet to send to New York the Spanish ship “Plus Ultra,” daily expected from Barcelona. The Wabash is now the only blockading vessel in sight.

Four companies of the Hampton Legion, the Washington Light Infantry Volunteers, Captain Conner, Washington Artillery Volunteers, Lieut. Hart commanding, the Davis Guards, Captain Austin, and 61^st Riflemen, Captain Smith, left Columbia on Wednesday evening for Richmond, Va., under command of Lieut. Col. B. J. Johnson. Col. Hampton made a short speech to them on leaving, and a large crowd of spectators assembled to bid them farewell, and wish them a safe and victorious return to their homes.

Wm. H. Hurlbut, the abolitionist and spy, who is in jail at Richmond, is well known and appreciated at his full value here. Commissioner Gilchrist, of the Confederate court, has issued a warrant for his arrest, on which he will probably be brought here for trial. Hurlbut pretends to be a native of South Carolina, but our obstinate little State persists in disowning the gentleman. Should he succeed in proving his nativity, it will only be worse for him, as South Carolina looks upon degenerate sons as worse than consistent enemies.

Col. Hardee, of the Confederate Army, is out with a card in the Courier, stating that the copyright edition of his Infantry and Rifle Tactics, published by S. H. Goetzel & Co., in your city, is the only complete, correct and revised edition, and contains all the improvements and changes he has recently made, adapting the manual to the use of the arms generally in the hands of the troops in the Confederate States.

I see that Col. McCrea, formerly of this State, is raising a force of two hundred men in Arkansas to join McCullock’s Rangers. Every recruit is to be a single man, and must be able to prove by competent witnesses that he has performed the feat so common at the West, of having killed his bear with his knife. The wild beasts in the service of the baboon Lincoln will find them pretty tough foes to deal with. Men who can handle bears and panthers are just the sort of material to encounter the savages who repudiate the laws of civilized warfare, and when they can no longer hug us to their bosoms, for the sake of the money they could make out of us, set to work to plunder and exterminate us.

A match factory will soon be established in this city by a German, who has thoroughly learned the art of making these indispensable lights to our pathway. Artesian soap is coming into extensive demand. Here is another very useful article, which can be made with but little expense, as our Artesian Well furnishes, gratuitously, a never failing supply of ingredients. Our North Carolina neighbors are hastening their arrangements for supplying us with good coal from the Deep River mines. Zinc will also be wanted from that State. One of our coal dealers is on a visit to North Carolina, contracting for ten thousand tons of coal for Charleston.

A privateering vessel, commanded by experienced officers, is ready to leave one of our Southern ports on her first voyage. Her agents are advertising for a few more shares to complete the stock. Some of our merchants have already made money by the prizes captured, and there appears to be very little difficulty in enlisting capital in this trade, in spite of the hazards and reverses attending it.

No sales of cotton this week. We have about 2100 bales as ouR stock on hand. Hay and corn are selling very high. The former brings readily $3 per hundred pounds. Rice straw and marsh are used as substitutes by horse-owners. Corn sells at $1.10 @ $1.20. Flour, $6 @ $7 per barrel. Good country butter is now liberally supplied to us; sells from 37 1/8 @30 c. per pound.

Our banks have declared the following July Dividends—

South Carolina Railroad--$3.50 per share, 6 per cent per annum.

Southwestern Railroad Bank—75 c. per share.

Peoples’ Bank—87 ½ c. per share.

South Carolina Bank--$1.35 per share, 6 per cent. Per annum

Bank of Charleston—3 per cent

--SPECTATOR--

[Transcribed by Sharon Strout]