The last of the raiders — their retreat down the Peninsula.
In concluding our report yesterday we stated that the raiders had succeeded in effecting their escape by crossing the
Pamunkey at Pining Tree.
Subsequent information has satisfied us that this statement was erroneous, and that only a small portion of the enemy's forces crossed the
Pamunkey in their retreat.
The main body, after passing Old Church, in
Hanover county, moved down into New Kent, on their way, doubt less, to
Williamsburg.
Yesterday afternoon
Col. Bradley T. Johnson, with about forty of his Marylanders, assisted by a detachment of the 9th Virginia cavalry, which had joined him, came up with their rear guard near
Tunstall's Station, when a skirmish ensued, resulting in the capture of seventy of the raiders.
This is probably the last heavy pull that will be made upon them, as it is understood that the remainder of the party had pushed on beyond New Kent Court House.
Thus ends the great raid which was designed for the destruction of
Gen. Lee's communications and the liberation of the
Yankee prisoners in
Richmond.
The injury to the communications with the Army of Northern Virginia can be repaired in three days, and, instead of releasing the prisoners already in our hands, they have added not less than
two hundred and fifty to their numbers.
The Yankee Losses in killed and wounded.
It is somewhat difficult to ascertain the exact loss of the raiders in killed and wounded.
It is thought that in the fights on Hick's and Green's farms they had seventeen killed, and it is known that they had not less than twenty wounded. In
Hampton's night attack upon them, near
Atlee's, he killed four or five and wounded as many more.
In the several engagements which occurred they must have lost, at a low estimate, twenty five in killed and seventy wounded.
The loss in prisoners.
Their loss in prisoners will reach two hundred and fifty.
Up to 7 o'clock yesterday evening one hundred and seventy had been booked at the Libby, and these did not include the seventy captured by
Col. Johnston in the neighborhood of
Tunstall's.
Their loss in horses and Equipments.
What their nett loss in horses will amount to cannot, of course, be estimated, as the number they stole in their line of march will go far to make up the number captured from them.
They did not loss less than five hundred in killed and captured.
Besides the horses they lost a Napoleon gun, many saddles, carbines, sabres, pistols, blankets, &c. Altogether the expedition was rather an expensive one to
Kilpatrick's Government, taking into consideration the results accomplished.
The Departmental battalion.
We were in error as to the name of the officer who commanded this battalion in the recent fight with the enemy on
Green's farm.
Capt. Jno. McAnerncy, and not
McIthaney, is his name.
He came to
Virginia in the early part of the war with the 3d Alabama regiment, and was wounded in the battles around
Richmond.
His wound disabling him, he was appointed a clerk in the Post Office Department.
On the day of the raid he assumed command of the battalion as senior
Captain,
Major Henly being sick.
Our wounded.
In addition to the names already published by us we have heard of the following wounded in the late fights: Of
Henly's battalion--
Privates D. T. Carter,
S. McLain,
R. B. Green, and
Gray Doswell.
Of the
Armory battalion--
Lt. Truchurt, slightly in shoulder;
private Jones, mortally;
private Rees badly in the neck.
Among the local troops we understand our total loss to be: Killed 3; mortally wounded, 2; wounded, 12; missing, 5.
The Central railroad.
The injury sustained by this road from the raiders is slight, and only such as to prevent the running of the trains for a few days.
In the neighborhood of the
Chickahominy they destroyed the trestle work over the
Brook, and some fifteen feet of what is known as the dry trestling on the other side of the
Chickahominy.
At
Beaver Dam they were up some hundred yards or more of track, and burnt one or two unimportant railroad buildings.
This is about the extent of the damage inflicted upon the road.
Our artillery at Frederick's Hall.
Some uneasiness has been expressed with reference to our artillery at Frederick's Hall, and apprehensions entertained that it sustained some damage from the raiders on Monday.
The fact that several of the artillery offsets were captured by them excited these apprehensions.
We are glad to state, however, that not a single piece was injured, as the enemy were not at Frederick's Hall at all.--They struck the railroad some three miles below that point.
The remains of
Capt. Albert Ellery, who fell in one of the fights on Tuesday night, were interred in Hollywood Cemetery.--They were followed to their lasting resting place by the battalion of which he was a member, and
Smith's Battalion Band.--Among the pall-bearers we noticed
Marshal Kane and
Dr. Chas. Magill.
