Posted inUS Civil War

February 15, 1862 – Bowling Green is Ours

Just as the Star goes to press to day, the General-in-Chief has received a dispatch from Gen. Buell, announcing that his advance, under Gen. Mitchell, reached the river opposite Bowling Green yesterday by a forced march.

The enemy fearing the passage of his force across the river by the remaining bridge there, burned that immediately, or sufficient of it to render it impassable.

General Mitchell at once set about constructing another, under the protection of his guns.

Posted inMaritime & Naval History US Civil War

February 14, 1862 – Raid Down the Tennessee River

The Enemy’s Raid Down The Tennessee River—The Situation Of Affairs Near Fort Henry

Memphis, Tenn. February 11.—There has been a heavy loss in steamboats on the Tennessee river, owing to the raid of the enemy’s gun-boats Lexington and Conestoga. The Sam Orr, Containing 170 pounds of powder and two submarine batteries, was set on fire at 8 o’clock on Friday evening, two miles above the Tennessee river bridge. On Friday and Saturday, the Appleton, Belle, and Lynn Boyd, were burned by the Confederates at the mouth of Duck River. The Sam Kirkman, the Julius and the Time (the last named containing $100000 worth of Government stores) were abandoned and burned on Saturday. The Dunbar was sunk in Cypress Creek. The Eastport was also sunk. The Cerro Gordo and the Sallie Ward were the only boats captured by theenemy; and the Robb is the only one that escaped uninjured. The Federal gun-boats have left the Tennessee River, but are expected to return soon. They took with them 20,000 pounds of Confederate salt pork, which they found at Florence; but refused to touch private property, or even the cotton which they found. Passenger trains have resumed their trips on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.

Posted inPolitics

Fascist Absolutism in Italy

The progress of Fascismo toward a veritable religion was illustrated some months ago when Mussolini wrote in the preface of the published resolutions of the Grand Council of Facismo that this is “the book of our faith;” the “infallible compass of their every activity.” Facismo, he declares, “has buried forever” the old liberal democratic regime and erected the glorious edifice of Facismo in its stead.

The fasces of the lictor, the party symbol of the Fascisti, has been placed on the national flag beside the royal arms, as it has for months stood over government buildings. So sacred is Facismo that an Italian who speaks disrespectfully of it even in a foreign country is liable to severe punishment if he falls into the clutches of the supporters of Mussolini. Some weeks ago an Italian who had spoken against Fascism in America was, on returning to Italy, sentenced to twelve years and a half imprisonment, with three years special police supervision afterwards.

Posted inPolitics

The Fascist Aristocracy

The autocracy of Mussolini moves along unimpeded on the enthusiastic support of the Italian masses. The women, who were given the vote in municipal elections some months ago, find the right amounting to nothing, as the local governments for which they were to vote are now appointed by Mussolini.

The abolition of popular elections has raised the question of providing properly trained administrators for the dictatorship. Fascist intellectuals propose a special training school for a governmental aristocracy, to which youths shall be sent who have been adjudged by the Duce from among candidates-suggested by the officers of the Fascist militia to be of proper character to exercise authority as he may see fit to permit to others besides himself. By this method of “investure from above” it is hoped to make eternal the blessing of a people’s forgetting to govern itself. These future masters of the state are to be instructed in “the analysis of political phenomena, the science of organization, and Roman and Italian history with special attention to the dictatorial periods,” and are to be tried in minor administrative posts.

Posted inDaily News Local Histories Maritime & Naval History

Craft Stranded in Boston Harbor Due to Heavy Fog

Boston, Feb. 10—Several craft were aground tonight in Boston harbor as the result of trying to find their way through the dense fog which almost without intermission has shrouded the shipping channels today.

The British steamer City of Boston, carrying a cargo from the Orient and bound for New York, edged out of dock this morning. After being held in the upper harbor until this afternoon, she attempted to run out when the vapor bank lifted momentarily. The fog suddenly descended again and the ship grounded on the mud of the lower middle. It was believed that she would be re-floated at high tide tonight.

Posted inUS Civil War

February 10, 1862 – The Capture of Fort Henry

The telegraph reports the surrender of Fort Henry, on the Tennessee river, after a short engagement with the gunboats and before the land force had arrived at the scene of action. It is also stated that our forces had advanced fifteen miles beyond Fort Henry and had taken possession of the Memphis and Ohio Railroad bridge. This is an important victory, if we have force enough to take advantage of it. In this event it will be attended with the most important and decisive results. The St. Louis Republican thus detailed the importance of General Grant’s expedition a few days ago:

If the communication between Bowling Green and Columbia can be cut off, the Union forces still have it in their power to achieve such a victory as will make the Confederates tremble from Nashville to Pensacola.

Posted inPolitics

Dies Committee Report Accuses Anti-Semitic Groups of “Racketeering”

WASHINGTON, (JTA)—American Nazi, Fascist and anti-Semitic organizations are engaged in a form of racketeering as well as in subversive activities, the Dies Committee found in a preliminary report of its investigations. The primary aims of the Nazi-Fascist organizations, the committee said, are: (1) a radical change in the American form of Government, and (2) collection of dues from such misguided citizens as will support them.

Warning “all our citizens against aping the methods of foreign dictators,” the committee said: “In these times when democracy is harrassed from many sides, peewee Hitlers have arisen in our midst urging our people, through an unprecedented volume of propagandistic literature, to resort to force and violence against large sections of our population.” The Nazi leaders were characterized as “aspiring Fuehrers” and “would-be Caesars.”