believing that he would do any thing of the kind; but he had to say that the statement that he sent such a despatch was totally unfounded. He would not pretend to deny all the charges made against him in the papers. He had attempted it once, but found the charge reiterated in the same journal the second day after he had expressly denied it. He would say how-minds, and hearts, and wills, like that which ever, now that the statement that he had telegraphed Mr. Jefferson Davis, or written him, that Kentucky would furnish him with seven thousand armed men, was, like other charges, totally false. And he had been informed by the governor of Kentucky that the charge in respect to him was equally false.

THE Peace Meeting at Nyack, Rockland 6. Resolved, That the incarceration of John County, was one of the largest and most enthu- Merryman, George F. Kane, and others at Balsiastic meetings ever held in that county. Not timore, by a military officer, in obedience to less than 1,800 people were present, represent- the command of the President, without color ing the wealth, respectability, and intelligence of law; the utter disregard of the writ of "haof that region of country. No doubt the meet-beas corpus;" and the contempt shown for the ing was increased in size very much by the efforts of the Republicans to intimidate by threatening to shed the blood of those who should dare to assemble in a council of peace.

Second Brigade.-Col. A. E. Burnside, Rhode Island Volunteers, commanding. 1st & 2d RegiTHE subjoined General Order gives the or- ments Rhode Island Volunteers; 71st Regiment ganization of the Staff and of the several divis- New York Militia; 2d Regiment New Hampions of the army under Brigadier-General Mc-shire Volunteers; Battery of Light Artillery, Dowell, now advancing into Virginia from the 2d R. I. Regiment. lines opposite Washington.

will long be remembered by all who were in this region on that day, as one of the finest in the whole season-warm, but clear and delightfully pleasant. During the morning, our little party secured the necessary passes to carry them across the river, and at three P. M. we reached the base of Arlington Heights, on horseback, this being voted the best mode of conveyance. We were fortunately well mounted, our animals were fresh, and we passed an hour or two moving around among the camps, where all was bustle and stir preparatory to joining the march ordered "at any moment."

Horses were saddled, baggage was stored, rations for three or four days were got in readiness, forty rounds of ball cartridges were distributed, the evening parade was dispensed with, the sunset gun boomed forth its thunder upon the still warm air, night fell upon the scene, and the soldiers slept upon their arms, in readiness to start at the sound of the drum or bugle.

It was generally expected that the forward movement would take place during the night; but few of the regiments, however, were in motion upon the march till Wednesday A. M. During the night, our men were in most excellent spirits, and only evinced a general anxiety to get started. So general was this feeling among the troops, and so universal was the desire to get a sight at the enemy, about whom they had heard so much, as being at Fairfax in force, &c., that few slept soundly, and the majority certainly availed themselves of this luxury with one eye open, your humble servant among the latter.

At daybreak, after staying overnight each in a blanket upon the tent floor in one of the camps, we rose with the lark, (or earlier,) at the sound of the "long roll," and in a few minutes' time everybody was out. Horses were brought up, a hasty breakfast was swallowed, a little "parading" was done, orders rang forth from tent to tent, and from regiment to regiment, and it was soon ascertained that the word had gone forth to move forthwith. At eight o'clock the column was being rapidly formed, the regiments and detachments of cavalry and artillery were forming into line, and at the signal we moved briskly forward toward Fairfax Court House, simultaneously, from Arlington, from Alexandria, and from the space between those two points-leaving behind a sufficient force to protect and to operate the fortified works at all points along the line.

any part of their thoughts for their anticipa tions.

The huge column fell into line at last, along the road. From an occasional elevation which we mounted, for the sake of enjoying the grand coup d'ail, we could see this immense body of men, in uniform dress, with stately tread and glistening arms, move steadily forward,—over twenty thousand strong at one point, and nearly two-thirds as many more at another-all marching on-on to Fairfax."

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We pushed forward with our willing steeds, keeping pace with the extreme advance, as nearly as possible, with an eye constantly ahead and around us, of course, for "breakers," after we had passed a given point; for it had been hinted to us that a "masked battery" might open on us at any moment, from some sheltered spot along the route, and we civilians had no particular wish to smell powder in this particular style, much less to get within range of any such demonstration; being (in the abstract) peace men, and only there as "lookers-on in Vienna."

Brig. General Tyler's column, consisting of four brigades, under command of Colonels Keyes, Sherman, and Richardson, led the van, and on approaching Fairfax, the artillery fired a cannon, which unluckily served to notify the rebels who were in the town that somebody was coming. There were between three and four thousand Confederate troops there, and they were partially drawn up into line of battle, when the gun rattled out its unfortunate note of warning. They quickly sent forth scouts, who returned more quickly than they came, informing the commander of the rebel force that "McDowell was approaching with a hundred thousand men at his heels!" A stampede followed this information, and before ten o'clock the town of Fairfax was evacuated by the cowardly rascals, who fled, leaving behind them many tents, tools, shovels, axes, grain bags, several quarters of fresh beef, cooking utensils, &c., &c. When our advance guard entered the town, there was nobody and nothing to seize or to contend with at Fairfax Court House!

Our troops entered Fairfax-ten thousand of them-at early noon, the bands ringing out with cheerful tones the "Star-Spangled Banner," and the boys cheering lustily for the Union and the Stars and Stripes. Six or seven thousand infantry blocked up the main street, for a time; the Court House building was taken possession of by the New Hampshire Second, Col. Gil. Marston, a secession flag was hauled The sun shone brilliantly, and the fresh morn-down and the banner of the regiment run up ing air was highly invigorating. The troops on foot started off as joyfully as if they were bound upon a New England picnic, or a clambake; and not the slightest exhibition of fear or uneasiness, even, as to what might possibly be in store for the brave fellows, (thus really setting out upon an expedition from which, in all human probability, hundreds of them will never return!) seemed for an instant to occupy VOL. II.-Doc. 26

in its place, and then the foot soldiers opened right and left, or gave way, for the entrance of the cavalry and artillery. These dashed through the town at a gallop, and down the road out into the country beyond, in search of the fugitives. After going four miles beyond Fairfax, and finding that the legs of the rebels were evidently the longest, for they made the "fastest time on record" in this war, certainly,

-our troopers returned, with the cannon, and joined the van again.

Our party consisted of Hons. Schuyler Colfax, E. B. Washburn, Messrs. Dixon of New Jersey, Judge McKeon of New York, and two or three reporters for the press. Mr. Russell of the London Times, and Mr. Raymond of the N. Y. Times, were also together, with another party. Hundreds of persons arrived in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday, who came expressly to see the battle. The hotels were packed full of human beings-the National alone turning away over four hundred guests, whom they could not lodge, for the crowd.

A few Union people lingered behind in the village, who were greatly relieved, so they said, to see our army coming. In a few places along the road from Ball's Crossing to Fairfax, trees had been thrown down, but our hosts soon cleared the way of these impediments, and there was no further obstruction to the triumphant entree of the division of the United States army under Gen. McDowell, into the place about which so much has latterly been written and said.

From Fairfax our brave army moves toward Manassas, and thence-we hope, without delay to RICHMOND! The fever's up, and our bold troops ask only to be led, and listen earnestly for the thrilling order-" forward!" They remember that

"God, and our good cause, fight on our side; Their wives will welcome home the conquerors." There will be no yielding, no parley, no compromises now. The march is onward, and the willing hosts who have thus taken their lives in their hands for liberty, the Constitution, and the laws, will halt no more, it is believed, until the back of this unholy rebellion is effectually broken. They meet the issue manfully, cheer fully, boldly, and their watchwords now are

"God and the Right!
Richmond, and Victory!"

Yours, &c., G. P. R.

NEW YORK "HERALD" NARRATIVES.

WASHINGTON, July 17, 1861. The advance of the whole corps d'armée constituting the column under the command Two or three random shots were fired from of Brigadier-General McDowell has thus far the woods as we approached the village, wound- proved a triumphant march. All that was exing an officer and two privates, but not serious-pected or hoped to be accomplished to-day was ly. These shots were discharged by rebels who done, and almost without the firing of a gun. were mounted, and who fled before they could The rebels have fled from their intrenchments, be reached. and Fairfax Court House, the late head-quarters of General M. S. Bonham, of South Carolina, is in our possession. The Alabama and the South Carolina brigades, and a whole body of rebels in that neighborhood-variously estimated at from ten to fifteen thousand strong-took to their heels, and failed to offer any serious opposition to the advancing Union army. The success of the movement was complete.

The so-called "fortifications" of the enemy .at Fairfax are about as much like those erected by Corcoran's Irish Regiment at Arlington, and those built at Fort Ellsworth by the New York Zouaves, as a peach is like a mule's head! They are entirely fabulous, comparatively, and are of no account whatever. If such be the character of all the rebel intrenchments, they will occasion us little trouble. Guards of our troops were promptly stationed around the town, and especially about the "Court House," of which you have heard so much. The two Rhode Island Regiments, with James's rifled cannon batteries, the New Hampshire Second, the New York Seventy-first, and Eighth, five or six companies of regulars, and two other regiments took possession of Fairfax. General Bonham of South Carolina commanded the retiring rebel force.

The order had been given for the several divisions to make the attack upon the intrenched lines of the rebels at about the same time-one o'clock P. M.—and promptly, at one o'clock P. M., all the enemy's works in the neighborhood of Fairfax Court House were in our possession. The advance was made by four different routes leading towards Fairfax Court House and directly to Centreville. The right wing, composed of the First division, four brigades, under the command of General Tyler, of It was General McDowell's intention to fol- Connecticut, proceeded by the Georgetown low the enemy up, at midnight, but the boys turnpike. The centre, composed of the Second were so much fatigued with the sharp march division, two brigades, under Colonel Hunter, of the day that it was deferred till this morning. United States Army, proceeded by the LeesIt is ardently hoped that the rascals will make burg or Centreville road. The left wing was a stand at Manassas, where Beauregard is now composed of the Third division, three briin command, with some forty odd thousand gades, under Colonel S. P. Heintzelman, United men, it is said. But it is greatly feared they States Army; and the Fifth division, two briwill run again. The rebels have got the idea, gades, under Colonel Dixon S. Miles, United evidently, that the Zouaves, and the Gari-States Army. The Fifth division proceeded by baldians, and Blenker's German Rifles, and DeKalb's sharpshooters, are so many "devils in human shape," and they will be disinclined | to withstand a charge from these troops. If Beauregard does not give us battle at Manassas, his army will be thus thoroughly demoralized, and he is beaten, past a ray of hope.

the old Braddock road, and the Third by the Little River turnpike. The Fourth division, under General Runyon, of New Jersey, constituted the reserve. There were in the whole column sixty-two regiments-about fifty-five thousand men-and in the marching divisions an aggregate of forty-five thousand.