The War News.
The intelligence yesterday, from all points at a distance from the city was cheering.
We give a brief sketch of the situation:
The advance into
Southwestern Virginia by the enemy was made in two columns.
One came from
Tennessee towards
Bristol, and consisted of four regiments (two white and two negro), under the command of
Acting Brigadier General Carter, a notorious
Tennessee renegade.
The other came from
Kentucky, through
Cumberland gap, and numbered eight thousand men, under
General Bainbridge.
They were to form a junction in
Tazewell county, and then move on
Saltville.
On Friday, however, before getting to the
Virginia line,
Carter was attacked by General Vaug four miles from Carter station, on the
East Tennessee and Virginia railroad, driven to the station, and there routed.
The column of
General Burbridge halted at
Richland,
in Russell county, Virginia, on Friday, and there waited the arrival of
Carter.
As he did not, for the best of reasons, arrive,
Burbridge moved forward on
Saltville, after previously starting a raiding party of five hundred cavalry to go around to
Wytheville and cut the Virginia and Tennessee railroad at that point.
He arrived at
Saltville on Sunday, and at noon assaulted our works about three miles from the town.
The assault was bloodily repulsed, and, after a brief interval, was renewed with a still more disastrous repulse.
He then retired at night, leaving about seven hundred killed and wounded in our hands.
Our loss was fifteen killed and seventy wounded. The following official dispatch from
General Echols was received at
General Kemper's office yesterday:
"We whipped the enemy badly here yesterday, and he has retired in confusion, leaving his dead and wounded in our hands — among them a brigadier-general and a good many officers.
There were two or three regiments of negro troops, which were badly cut up. The reserves and detailed men acted splendidly.
The enemy's force was about six thousand, as near as we could estimate.
We are in hot pursuit.
The following is the dispatch of
General Lee to the War Department:
"
General Breckinridge reports that the enemy attacked
Saltville on the 2d instant and received a bloody repulse.
"They retired during the night in great confusion, apparently in the direction of
Sandy river, leaving most of their dead and wounded in our hands.
"He is pursuing them.
"All of our troops behaved well.
The party which started for
Wytheville got as far as "Tazewell Courthouse, and have not been heard from since.--The defeat of
Burbridge, coupled with the failure of
Sheridan to reach
Lynchburg, are two disasters which will make a marked change in
Grant's plans.
Had
Sheridan reached
Lynchburg, and
Saltville been captured, the Virginia and Tennessee railroad would have constituted a line of communication for getting supplies through
Cumberland gap, which would have been most advantageous to the enemy, and which would have greatly facilitated the grand plan of flanking
General Lee, by way of the south side, and cutting the roads leading south from
Richmond.
If
General Price continues his march upon
St. Louis with the rapidity which has already characterized his movements the city will fall into his hands.
There are three railroads running out of the city, and all three have been cut. The most important, the
North and
Missouri, by which the city could receive reinforcements, was cut at
Centralia by our cavalry on the 28th, and two passenger trains captured.
On these trains were a score of soldiers, whom the frightened passengers that escaped and returned to the city reported, as usual, had been murdered.
The Pacific Missouri road was cut at
Osage on the same day; and upon the St. Louis and Iron Mountain railroad
General Price himself is advancing.
On the 29th, his cavalry was at De Soto station, twenty-four miles from
St. Louis, and his army was at Potosi station, ten miles this side.
The "citizens" were hurrying into the town for protection.
General Rosecrans has no regular troops to defend
St. Louis with, and its capture will be easy if no time is given him to receive reinforcements by way of the river.
The
Yankees have already started twelve steamers to him from
Memphis laden with troops
General A. J. Smith, whom
Forrest has thrashed so badly, is in command of the cavalry in
Missouri, and is "watching"
Price's movements.
General Forrest is still having his own way in
Tennessee.
General Rousseau, who was sent out from
Nashville by the
Yankees to catch him, had a fight with him at
Pulaski, and is now represented by the enemy's account as slowly retreating
towards
Nashville; and
Forrest has turned off to the left towards
Fayetteville, the terminus of a branch road from
Dechard.
This is the route to
Memphis, and the ubiquitous
Forrest may next turn up there, especially as the garrison has gone to relieve
Rosecrans at
St. Louis.
His men are tearing up the road and burning the trestle-work as they go. They captured two trains at Big Shanty on the 27th.
Dispatches from
Nashville say that both roads going south from there (forming
Sherman's line of communication) are cut, and there is no longer telegraphic communication with
Sherman.
An official dispatch, received at the War Department from
General Early, reports the enemy north of North river, his cavalry occupying the north bank of that stream, his infantry being near
Harrisonburg.
After slight skirmishing the enemy's cavalry fell back from
Mount Crawford.
Mount Crawford is in
Rockingham county just north of North river.
It is about sixteen miles the other side of
Staunton and eight miles this side of
Harrisonburg.
The raiding party mentioned yesterday as the day before at
Russell's Hill, fifteen miles from
Gordonsville, has returned without attempting a raid.
On the
Central road, official dispatches at the War Department report a small force of the enemy's cavalry and some infantry in
Culpeper county, who are engaged in rebuilding the bridge at Rappahannock station.
The
Yankees are again running trains on the road to Rappahannock station.
Yesterday all was quiet.
The enemy are busily engaged in strengthening the works they held on Monday.
There were several rumors in town during the day of advances in force, &c., on the part of the
Yankees, but none of them proved correct.
In our report of the defence of Fort Gilme, it should have been stated that the Louisiana Guard Artillery was the battery which so successfully repelled the enemy's assaults.
At
Petersburg all was quiet.
It was stated positively yesterday, in some official circles, that
General Hood now has his army
directly in Sherman's rear, though the exact locality it is not prudent to state.
