Still later from the North.
We have received New York papers of the 10th instant--one day later.
Gold was quoted at 187 3-8.
Sheridan's progress — his fight with Early — attack by Rosser.
A dispatch from
Cumberland, Maryland, states that official information has been received that
Colonel Thompson, of the First New Hampshire cavalry, of
General Sheridan's command, had just arrived at
Winchester with forty officers and one thousand three hundred enlisted men as prisoners, and eight pieces of artillery captured.
A correspondent of the New York
Herald, describing the fight with
General Early, says:
‘
Leaving
Staunton, the route was on a common dirt road.
This was softened by constant rains so that the mud was nearly two feet deep.
The march was necessarily slow, but the troops were in excellent spirits, and only too eager to meet the enemy.
’
When
General Custer reached
Fisherville, five miles from
Waynesboro', he came upon the rebel videttes, but these he sent flying to their camps in quick time.
On reaching a point near
Waynesboro' the column was halted, and a detachment sent forward to reconnoitre.--This party soon discovered the enemy posted on a range of hills near
Waynesboro' and
South river.
The rebels had five pieces of artillery in position, commanding the front on which
Custer was approaching
General Custer immediately dismounted and deployed two regiments as skirmishers.
In the rear of them and on either side of the road were solid regiments.
The movement on the enemy's works was the work of a moment.
Our skirmishers advanced with rapidity, firing at the enemy, and then the whole line moved on the enemy's position.
The rebels fired on a volley, and then ran like a flock of sheep.
Their attempt to escape was fruitless, as
Custer closed his lines on them, and surrounded nearly the entire force of the enemy, capturing eighty-seven commissioned officers, eleven hundred and sixty-five enlisted men, thirteen State and battle flags, seven cannon, one hundred wagons, ambulances and other vehicles.
Among the rebel officers captured were
General Early's entire staff--
Colonel Orr,
chief of artillery, and
Colonel Vossburg, commanding brigade.
General Early did not attempt to rally or encourage his men, but fled when he saw
Custer and his troops manœuvring for position.
He rode off on a fleet horse, attended by an orderly, and proceeded through the
Blue Ridge,
via Rockfish gap, and towards
Charlottesville.
It seems that
General Early despaired of making any successful defence against
Sheridan, and on the morning of the day
Custer attacked him, he caused all surplus stores and six pieces of artillery to be placed on a railroad track for transportation elsewhere.
This train was also captured by
General Custer, together with all the spoils, including a large quantity of artillery ammunition.
The artillery was all destroyed, burst or spiked, and the gun carriages destroyed on account of the muddy condition of the roads.
The victory was almost a bloodless one, as we only lost ten or twelve in killed and wounded.
All the rebel wagons captured from the enemy were destroyed for the same reason above stated.
General Custer remained at
Waynesboro' until
General Sheridan, with the main column, came up, and then pushed on through Rockfish gap to
Greenwood, at which the force mentioned at the commencement of this report was detached to escort the rebel prisoners to this point.
At last accounts, direct from
Sheridan General Custer was within a few miles of
Charlottesville, an important station on the Virginia Central railroad.
General Sheridan intimated to his officers that he had the game in his own hands and it would take a strong card of the enemy to beat him. The capture of
Early's nant of his once splendid army frees the
Valley of any regular force.
The detachment detailed to escort the rebel prisoners to this point left
Waynesboro' on Friday, the 3d instant.
They marched eight miles and encamped at Fishersville.
Colonel Thompson, commanding the brigade, finding his supply of food inadequate to meet the requirements of his men and the prisoners, sent forward a detachment to several of the towns through which they were to pass, notifying the inhabitants to bring out to the roadside food for the rebel prisoners, or otherwise they would starve on the road.
On reaching
Staunton,
Colonel Thompson found only a feeble response to his request, and learning that the rebels had stored large quantities of supplies in the
Lunatic Asylum, a requisition was made on that institution, and our troops and the rebel prisoners were partially supplied with flour and bacon.
Colonel Thompson discharged this duty in as agreeable a manner and with as much humanity as the necessity of the case would permit.
The troops were not molested on their return trip until they reached the north fork of the
Shenandoah, near
Mount Jackson, where they were met by a small but determined rebel cavalry force, under
General Rosser.
It appears he followed our troops from
Staunton, and watched an opportunity to rescue the rebel prisoners.
He waited until the 6th instant, when our troops were about crossing the
Shenandoah.
He boldly charged on the rear guard--the Fifth New York cavalry,
Major Force,--who suddenly changed direction, faced the rebels, and, with sabres in hand, and a cheer and a dash, he drove
Rosser and his men in retreat up the pike towards
Staunton, capturing twenty-seven rebels and killing fifteen others.
This charge drove
Rosser so far to the rear that he did not trouble our troops again.
When our troops reached
Waynesboro',
General Sheridan sent four couriers, each with a copy of an order to
General Hancock, to send a brigade of infantry and one of cavalry to meet the prisoners at or near
Mount Jackson.--Two of the couriers were killed, and two were captured.
Hence the order did not reach its destination.
The prisoners all arrived in town to-day, footsore and weary.
The steamboat
Amazon,
Captain Dillon, a valuable river vessel, arrived at
Savannah, Georgia, on the 2d instant from
Augusta, having run down the
Savannah river through a network of rebel obstructions and torpedoes placed in the channel to prevent her escape.
She was piloted by a runaway slave.
Captain Dillon, becoming disgusted with rebel rule, determined to make his way to the
Union lines, which, after surmounting, various obstacles, he finally succeeded in doing, bringing with him his steamer, his family,
household furniture, two hundred bales of cotton and other valuable property.
