The War News.
Our account, published yesterday, of the movements and attacks of the enemy on the north side, on Thursday, was in the main correct.
A visit to the front yesterday has put us in possession of some additional particulars.
During Wednesday night the enemy massed on our left, on the
Darbytown and Charles City roads; and the Eighteenth corps, which, up to that time, had held the line at, and in the vicinity of,
Fort Harrison, was withdrawn and marched across the
Darby and Charles City roads and in the direction of the
Williamsburg road, the object being, by overlapping our left, to get possession of our works on the latter road.
Fort Harrison and the position vacated by the Eighteenth corps were entrusted to a small force of newly-arrived troops, mostly artillerists, who, to judge by their general appearance, their new knapsacks, &c., are recent conscripts.
About nine o'clock Thursday morning the enemy made a heavy attack upon our lines on the
Darby road, and, being repulsed, renewed the assault repeatedly, but each time with the same result.
The fight here was kept up for two hours or more, and the enemy's loss in killed and wounded was very severe.
Our losses, we have before stated, amounted to almost nothing.
We had a few men wounded.
Though this attack was well sustained and determined; and though, doubtless, the enemy would have liked to have broken our lines there, yet we think it was but a demonstration to cover a much more important movement, and one upon which, no doubt,
Grant counted largely.
It was designed to engage our attention while the Eighteenth corps passed to the
Williamsburg road and seized our works there.
But again
Grant was thwarted by the skill of our generals and the valor of our troops.
Owing to the small quantity of rain that has fallen during the
summer and
fall, the Eighteenth corps were able to cross the head of
White Oak swamp and reach the
Williamsburg road, about four miles and a half below this city.
On reaching the road, they formed into line of battle and advanced towards our works, thinking, evidently, that they were held only by a few cavalrymen.
Nerved by this delusion, they came forward in fine style under the fire of our artillery; but on getting within musket range, and being met by a well-directed volley from a numerous body of veterans, their ardor abated visibly.
Still they came on, though unsteadily, our troops still raking them with both cannon and musketry.
When within one hundred yards of our front, they broke, and the greater part fell back in disorder.
A considerable body took refuge under the crest of a hill, in front of our works, and there stuck.
It was for a time believed by us that they were preparing to charge upon our position.
After firing shrapnel at them for a considerable length of time without dislodging them,
Captain Lyle, with forty of our men, sallied out on a reconnaissance.
He went down upon the
Yankees at a
pas de charge and drove them out of their position, capturing four hundred prisoners, among whom were several commissioned officers, and seven stands of colors.
Night coming on, we made no pursuit of the main body.
About five o'clock the same evening, our men in front of
Fort Harrison, desiring to know what the
Yankees had there, opened upon the fort with mortars.
Our bombs fell splendidly, every one of them entering and bursting in the fort.
The first one fired blew up one of the casemates of the fort, making a breach almost big enough to drive a wagon through.
The fort replied with three rifle guns, but without much show of spirit.
Their fire was perfectly harmless.
Not one of our men were struck, all of the
Yankee shells, except one, flying clear over their heads.
The one shell alluded to struck upon our parapet, dislodging three or four shovelsful of earth.
This duel lasted over an hour.
Official report of Thursday's operations.
The following report was received from
General Lee yesterday morning:
"Headquarters army of Northern Virginia,
October 27, 1864.
"The movement of the enemy against our left to-day was repulsed.
Two attacks upon our lines were made--one between the Henrico Poor-house and Charles City road, the other on the
Williamsburg road.
Several hundred prisoners and four stands of colors were captured.
Our loss is very slight.
"On the 25th,
Colonel Mosby, near
Bunker Hill, captured
Brigadier-General Duffle and several other prisoners, a number of horses, and killed a number of the enemy.
He sustained no loss.
The number of prisoners taken on the north side that had been received at the Libby up to last night was five hundred and sixty-five.
All was again quiet on the north side yesterday.
Grant had, on Thursday, withdrawn most of his force from our right and centre and massed them on our left, say from the
Darby to the
Williamsburg stage road inclusive.
Yesterday he was believed to be moving them back, his attack on our left having failed ingloriously.
By some it is believed the attack and attempted flank movements will be renewed with greater rigor at an early day. We cannot see any reason for this opinion.
If
Grant could not attain his object on Thursday, delay will not improve his chances in an undertaking where everything depended upon a surprise of our troops.
He has been beaten, and must now endgel his wits to account to
Lincoln for it. He will most probably charge his failure upon the rain storm of Thursday evening and night.
Second Official report from General Lee--Grant's simultaneous attacks on our right and left on Thursday Disgraceful failures.
The following dispatch from
General Lee was received last night.
It will be seen that
Grant was badly beaten on Thursday--even worse south of
Petersburg than on this side of the river.
He was pushed into these fights by a desire to aid his master,
Lincoln, in the coming election, but he has not helped matters much.
He had better have trusted the electioneering to
Sheridan's gasconading.
We give
General Lee's report:
"Headquarters army Northern Virginia,
"October , 1864.
"
General A. P. Hill reports that the attack of
General Heth upon the enemy upon the
Boydton
plankroad, mentioned in my dispatch last evening, was made by three brigades, under
General Mahone in front and
General Hampton in the rear.
Mahone captured four hundred prisoners, three stands of colors and six pieces of artillery.
The latter could not be brought off, the enemy having possession of the bridge.
"In the attack subsequently made by the enemy,
General Mahone broke three lines of battle, and during the night the enemy retired from the
Boydton plankroad, leaving his wounded and more than two hundred and fifty dead on the field.
"About 9 o'clock P. M. a small force assaulted and took possession of our works on the
Baxter road, in front of
Petersburg, but was soon driven out.
"On the
Williamsburg road yesterday,
General Field captured upwards of four hundred prisoners and seven stands of colors.
The enemy left a number of dead in front of our works and returned to his former position to-day.
In the engagement below
Richmond, on Wednesday, the following were the casualties in the Third Company Richmond Howitzers (
Lieutenant H. C. Carter commanding):
Corporals M. H. Gardner and
Roberts, severely (not dangerously) wounded;
privates Gwin and
Tate, mortally wounded.
The enemy, in his attack below
Petersburg, seems to have gained no advantage and suffered heavy loss.
It appears that the Second, Ninth and a part of the Fifth corps of
Grant's army moved around to our right on Wednesday night, and early on Thursday morning drove in our pickets at Armstrong's mill, pressing rapidly forward in strong force in the direction of the
Boydton plankroad, distant some two miles, striking, in the meantime, that portion of our breastworks occupied by our cavalry, before which he was temporarily checked.
By massing and flanking, however, our lines were broken, and the enemy, pouring in, swept around to the plankroad, striking it at Burgess's mill, seven miles from the city.
Such was the rapidity of the enemy's advance that our men were compelled to retire hastily, leaving their camp and all its appurtenances in the hands of the
Yankees.
A quantity of forage, some horses and wagons, and a few prisoners, were captured at the mill.
The enemy at once formed into line of battle across the plankroad, stretching his columns out through
Burgess's fields, and planting a heavy battery on the commanding hill which overlooks the mill pond and the road in this direction.
Our forces confronted him on the eminence this side of the pond, a valley and a bridge lying between them.
The artillery on both sides was mostly engaged until late in the evening, when the musketry took part, and the fighting was very severe until after dark.
At night our men had failed to dislodge the
Yankees from their position, and they still held the
Boydton plankroad and Burgess's mill.
An official dispatch, received yesterday at the War Department, thus describes the enemy's operations in this quarter:
‘
"The enemy crossed
Rowanty creek below Burgess's mill, and forced back the cavalry in the afternoon.
General Heth attacked, and at first drove them, but found them in too strong force.
Afterwards the enemy attacked and were repulsed.
They still hold the plankroad at Burgess's mill.
Heth took some colors and prisoners.
’
Our loss in killed, wounded and missing is estimated at three hundred.
This flank movement places the enemy still further from the Southside railroad than whence he started.
It was a detour to avoid our strong line of works, with the hope of forcing our troops back into them, and will amount to nothing more than to extend somewhat their foraging limits.
Mr. Brugess was taken prisoner by the
Yankees.
About dark, the enemy made a feint on our skirmish line in the vicinity of
Wilcox's farm.
Their attack amounted to nothing.
About ten o'clock Thursday night, the enemy made a determined and vigorous onset upon our lines in the vicinity of
Rives's farm and to the left of the
Southampton plankroad.
They were entirely unsuccessful, however, although they massed their columns almost into phalanxes and endeavored to press us back by the sheer weight of their heavy bodies of troops; but this was only productive of more terrible slaughter, the artillery mowing great gaps in the squares of men and the Southern rifles bringing down whole ranks at every volley.
The Federals made a number of distinct assaults, but were repulsed each time with very heavy loss.--We took a few prisoners.
Yesterday, the
Yankees, satisfied, or rather suffering from the results of the previous day's fight, remained quiet.
A report prevailed among the passengers who came by last night's train that they had abandoned the position which they had gained on the
Boydton plankroad.
Two hundred and fifty Yankees arrived by last night's train from
Petersburg.
General Dearing, who was reported killed (and so supposed), was only separated by accident from his command, and eventually returned to it.
From the Rappahannock.
The gunboats reported to be ascending the
Rappahannock river have returned.
They did not come up as high as
Port Royal.
Manassas Gap railroad.
Parties of the enemy, supposed to be detachments from
Sheridan's army, are committing depredations in the counties of
Fauquier and
Rappahannock on the line of the Manassas Gap railroad.
From the Valley.
Sheridan is reported to be retreating towards
Winchester.
General Early is following.
A portion of
General Lee's official dispatch of yesterday says, "on the 25th,
Colonel Mosby, near
Bunker Hill, captured
Brigadier-General Duffie and several other prisoners, a number of horses, and killed a number of the enemy.
He sustained no loss."
Lieutenant Johnson, of his command, with a small party of men, fell in, a day or two since, with a squad of fifteen Yankees.
He killed six, wounded five and captured four. What became of the remainder is not known.
The Federals have evacuated
Cleveland, Tennessee, and vicinity.
Prisoners sent North.
General Page and a large number of the
Fort Morgan prisoners have been sent North from
Mobile.
There is nothing new from
Georgia.
Some idea of the celerity of
General Hood's remarkable movements may be formed from the fact, that in fourteen days his army has marched one hundred and fifty miles. All the railroad destruction which has been effected was done by only a portion of one corps, which did not march with the main army.
There
has been no infantry fighting since the attack on
Altoona.
The town of
Resaca was menaced, but found too strongly defended, and was not attacked.
In the main army each division drives its drove of cattle before it, and as fast as they are thinned out they are replenished from the surrounding country.
The men have plenty of rations, but are in want of shoes and clothing.
On Tuesday, the 18th, the army was at
Blue Pond, twenty-six miles from
Gunter's landing, on the
Tennessee river.
The river was high, but had commenced falling.
General Beauregard issued an address on the 17th in taking command.
He says the enemy must be driven out of
Atlanta, and offers an amnesty to all deserters returning to their commands within thirty days.
