Heavy fighting on the Rapidan.
the advance of the enemy Successfully resisted.
Early on Saturday morning information reached this city that a severe engagement had taken place the day before in the vicinity of Germanna Ford, on the Rapidan.
The enemy, it seems, had effected a landing at that point as early as Thursday, and after crossing commenced a movement of his forces up the river, attempting a flank movement of the position of Gen. Lee.
At 10 o'clock on Friday morning they were met about two miles distant from the ford by Gen. Edward Johnson's division, of Gen. Ewell's corps, consisting of the first and second brigades, commanded by Gens. Walker and Jones, and Gen. Geo. H. Stuart's brigade.
The battle was immediately joined between the opposing forces, the Federal forces consisting of Birney's and French's corps, of Meade's army.
For several hours the infantry fighting is said to have been terribly severe, and the field contested by the enemy with much more than usual stubbornness.
A while before night, however, the enemy began to give ground, and at dark they had yielded some two miles of the field, which brought them to entrenchments which they had thrown up the night previous.
The ground on which the battle commenced is represented by some of the wounded as being a large area of open land, bordered with dense woods on the side next to the river.
The enemy emerged from this woods and attacked our forces, who were in the open space, and after being repulsed, fell back through the woods towards the river, where they had thrown up entrenchments.
The woods served them as a protection against our musketry, but notwithstanding this their loss is believed to have been quite heavy.
The letter of our army correspondent, which we publish elsewhere, furnishes a detailed account of the affair.
The brilliant operations of Rosser (including the capture of an advance train) and Mosby, who captured a railroad train, will also be found accurately noticed there.
The following official dispatch from Gen. Lee was received at the War Department yesterday evening:
A rain-storm prevailed all day yesterday. No movement of any importance in either army. This morning the enemy is deploying in our front in line of battle.
R. E. Lee, General.
