From Gen. Lee's army — another victory on Saturday.
The news received yesterday fully satisfies us that the army under
General Lee re-crossed the
Potomac, on Friday last, and is now on the
South bank of the river.
The reports heretofore received and which we were inclined to credit, that only a portion of the army had recrossed, prove to have been not well founded.
From gentlemen who arrived last evening from the immediate presence of the army, we are assured that the whole column crossed, and the crossing was effected without the slightest attempt of the enemy to obstruct our passage.
Of the desperate and bloody battle of Wednesday, in the vicinity of
Sharpsburg, we have very few additional particulars.
Hon. A. R. Boteler, who participated in the fight as an aid of
General Jackson, arrived here last night.
He represents the engagement as resulting decidedly in our favor and the victory obtained by our forces, if not complete, at least great and satisfactory.
He left the army on Friday, after the larger portion of it had crossed the river.
He speaks in the most hopeful and cheering manner of the operations of our forces in
Maryland and the
Lower Valley, and entertains the belief that the enemy will not make any serious attempt at invasion for some time to come.--Our troops were buoyant in spirits, and ready and eager to meet the foe again.
The battle of Saturday.
An official dispatch, dated
Staunton, September 23d, was received early in the day yesterday, communicating the intelligence of another fight and another decided and brilliant victory on Saturday.
This dispatch was received by
Gen. G. W. Smith, and was read in the House of Representatives yesterday morning.
The following is a copy of the dispatch:
‘
General: A dispatch has just been received from
Winchester, dated 21st.
The enemy crossed 10,000 men over the river at
Shepherdstown, and were immediately attacked by
Jackson's corps and routed.
Their loss very heavy; ours slight.
Quite a number of arms taken.
Jackson has recrossed into
Maryland.
H. B.
Davidson,
Col., P. A. C. S.
’
During the day nothing later was received with reference to this engagement, except that passengers who came by the
Central train stated that it was reported at
Staunton that our victory was complete, and the enemy were terribly slaughtered.--The same reports also represented that we had captured some four or five thousand of the enemy.--The Yankee force engaged in this fight crossed the
Potomac at Boteler's Mill, one mile below
Shepherdstown, and the fight must therefore have occurred in the immediate vicinity of that town.
The statement that
Gen. Jackson with his corps re-crossed into
Maryland, after the battle of Saturday, is hardly probable, unless there was a concerted plan for a similar move of our whole force.
It may be that
Maryland will again be invaded at an early day, and that
Gen. Jackson's column is the advance guard of a second invasion.
But in the absence of facts, it is idle to speculate upon what our future movements will be.
