it, leaving only negroes in the Southern garrisons. We
learned Butler was in command, and dismissed all apprehensions--and one
day we had but 5000 opposed to his 40,000!

MAY 20TH.--Fog; then sunshine all day, but cool.

Troops have been marching through the city all day from the south side.
I presume others take their places arriving from the South. Barton's
brigade had but 700 out of 2000 that went into battle last Monday. Our
wounded amount to 2000; perhaps the enemy's loss was not so large.

Col. Northrop is vehement in his condemnation of Beauregard; says his
blunders are ruining us; that he is a charlatan, and that he never has
been of any value to the Confederate States; and he censures Gen. Lee,
whom he considers a general, and the only one we have, and the Secretary
of War, for not providing transportation for supplies, now so fearfully
scarce.

I read an indorsement to-day, in the President's writing, as follows:
"Gen. Longstreet has seriously offended against good order and military
discipline in rearresting an officer (Gen. Law) who had been released by
the War Department, without any new offense having been alleged.--J. D."

Mr. Mallory, Secretary of the Navy, wrote a pungent letter to the
Secretary of War to-day, on the failure of the latter to have the
obstructions removed from the river, so that the iron-clads might go out
and fight. He says the enemy has captured our lower battery of
torpedoes, etc., and declares the failure to remove the obstructions
"prejudicial to the interests of the country, and especially to the
naval service, which has thus been prevented from rendering important
service."

Gen. Bragg writes a pretty tart letter to the Secretary of War to-day,
desiring that his reports of the Army of Tennessee, called for by
Congress, be furnished for publication, or else that the reasons be
given for withholding them.

We have no war news to-day.

Mrs. Minor, of Cumberland County, with whom my daughter Anne resides, is
here, in great affliction. Her brother, Col. Rudolph, was killed in the
battle with Sheridan, near Richmond; shot through the head, and buried
on the field. Now she learns that another brother, a cadet, just 18
years old, was killed in the battle of Gen. Breckinridge, in the valley,
shot through the head; and she resolves to set out for Staunton at once,
to recover his body. Her father and sister died a few months ago, and
she has just heard of her aunt's death.

A lady