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from Colonel Mallory, commanding at Charlottesville, that a cavalry force of the enemy were threatening that point, and that our troops were fighting them about three miles from the town.
Late last night, report stated that they had been repulsed, and had retired.
The train which left this city yesterday morning, carried, as a passenger, General R. E. Lee, and for a while, those who feed upon rumors had it circulated that the train had been captured, and General Lee made prisoner.
For this, however, there was no foundation, as information had been received of the safe arrival of the train at Gordonsville.
Some uneasiness was felt in the early part of the evening, for the safety of the down passenger-train, due here at seven o'clock, but it was ascertained later in the night that it, too, was safe.
Richmond, March 2, 1864.
The raid of the enemy, so sudden and unexpected, has so completely interrupted telegraphic communication that little is known of the damage inflicted by them on the Virginia Central Railroad; but what little we have been able to ascertain leads to the belief that the injury to that road has been comparatively trifling.
After leaving Frederickshall, on Monday evening, the force seems to have divided, a portion of them passing through the upper part of Hanover County to the Fredericksburgh Railroad, which they are reported to have struck between Taylorsville and Ashland, and the others moving off through Louisa into Goochland County.
Early in the day yesterday, nothing could be heard from Ashland, on account of the interruption of the telegraph line, and nothing could be learned of the column of the enemy that struck the railroad at that point, until they appeared on the Brook turnpike, a few miles from the city.
This was about ten o'clock A. M. They were gallantly met by a detachment of battery-troops, commanded by Colonel Stevens.
After an engagement of some thirty minutes with light fieldpieces, they were driven off and retired in the direction of the Meadow Bridges, on the Central road.
During the firing, the enemy threw several shells at the fine mansion of Hon. James Lyons, one or two of which, we understand, passed through the building, but happily without inflicting any material damage.
It was reported last night, that this column had encamped about five miles from the city, on the Mechanicsville road.
In the fight on the Brook road, Colonel Stevens had one man killed and seven wounded. This force of the enemy is variously estimated at from one thousand to five thousand cavalry, and a battery of artillery.
The best information we have, leads to the impression that their force at this point did not exceed one thousand three hundred.
In the fight, nothing but artillery was used.
The column that went into Goochland County paid a visit to the house of the Hon. James Seddon, Secretary of War.
We heard last night, that the damage done by them on his place amounted to but little.
They burnt two or three flouring-mills in the county, among them, the Dover Mill, some twenty-five miles above the city.
General Henry A. Wise, who was at the residence of his son-in-law, Mr. Hobson, in Goochland, narrowly escaped capture.
He was at Mr. Hobson's when the enemy went to Mr. Seddon's place, and hearing of their presence in the neighbood, he put out for Richmond, and arrived here about the middle of the day yesterday.
This column of the enemy is said to have consisted of four regiments of cavalry and one battery of artillery.
A report reached the city last night that a portion of them had crossed James River, whilst others were moving in the direction of Richmond on the Westham plank-road, with the view, it is conjectured, of forming a junction with the column that was repulsed on the Brook turnpike.
If it be true that any portion of them crossed the James River — which was doubted at the War Office--the design doubtless is, in conjunction with those approaching on the Westham road, to attempt the release of the prisoners on Belle Islland.
About nightfall, musketry-firing was heard on the plank-road, supposed to be about five miles distant from the city, and as a body of our troops had been sent in that direction, the inference is, that they had come up with the approaching enemy.
Of the result of the firing we had learned nothing up to the time of writing this article.
Later.--Since writing the above, some fifteen prisoners, captured at different points along the line of the enemy's routes, have been brought in. They say that the column of their forces which approached on the Brook road are under General Kilpatrick, and that the column which went into Goochland is commanded by General Gregg.
The main body of Kilpatrick's forces crossed the Chickahominy at Meadow Bridges, late in the afternoon.
The rear-guard went into camp last night at the junction of the Mechanicsville and Meadow Bridges roads.
Whilst in Groochland, Gregg's force burned the barn of Hon. J. A. Seddon.
It is also reported that they carried off with them Mrs. Patterson Allan, who is under indictment for treason in the confederate court.
This is only rumor, and should be received with allowance.
Kilpatrick's party visited the premises of Mr. John P. Ballard, about three miles from the city, and stole from his stables a pair of valuable carriage-horses.1Another account.
Richmond, March 2, 1864.
Our last notice of the movements of the enemy closed with their appearance at Frederickshall, on the Central Railroad, and the approach of another column toward Charlottesville.
The latter, we learn, were met by our cavalry under Colonel Caskie, and repulsed.
At Frederickshall they tore up the track for a considerable distance, and, it is trustworthily reported, captured and brought off several of our officers and eight pieces of artillery stationed there, besides doing considerable damage by destroying the carriages, and 