ere as
here. I do sincerely hope Grant's raiders will keep quiet until _I_ can
get something to eat!

AUGUST 11TH.--Hot and dry.

Dispatches from secret agents at Washington state that Grant and his
staff have arrived, that half his army preceded him, and the remainder
will soon follow. The campaign is considered a disastrous failure, and
it is anticipated that henceforth the scene of operations is to be
transferred from Richmond to Washington. They say President Lincoln's
face expresses "great terror," and affairs there are in a critical
condition.

A dispatch from Gen. Lee states that Gen. Bradley Johnson's brigade of
cavalry was surprised and routed on the 7th inst. by Averill. He has
directed that Gen. J. be relieved.

A dispatch from Gen. Hood (Atlanta, Ga.) says no important change in
affair has occurred since yesterday, except that Major-Gen. Bates is
wounded. There are 5000 militia in the trenches.

AUGUST 12TH.--Hot and dry. At 3 P.M. rained about three minutes. We are
burning up.

There is no war news. A rumor in the street says Atlanta has fallen. I
don't believe it. Yesterday Gen. Hood said no important change had
occurred, etc.

I saw a soldier to-day from Gen. Early's army near Martinsburg, and the
indications were that it was on the eve of crossing the Potomac. He left
it day before yesterday, 10th inst. He says Kershaw's division was at
Culpepper C. H., 50 miles from Early.

Detachments of troops are daily passing through the city, northward. All
is quiet below on the James River. Grant's campaign against Richmond is
confessedly a failure.

AUGUST 13TH.--Hot and dry. Large green worms have attacked my tomatoes,
and from the leaves are proceeding to the fruit. But not many of them
will escape! I am warring on them.

No war news, except the continuation of the movement of troops
_northward_. Hampton's division of cavalry, at least three brigades,
passed this morning.

From Mobile and Atlanta we have nothing of interest.

Flour is falling: it is now $200 per barrel--$500 a few weeks ago; and
bacon is falling in price also, from $11 to $6 per pound. A commission
merchant said to me, yesterday, that there was at least eighteen months'
supply (for the people) of breadstuffs and meats in the city; and
pointing to the upper windows at the corner of Thirteenth and Cary
Streets, he revealed the ends of many barrels piled above the windows.
He said that flour had been there two years, held for "sti