The War News.
All was again quiet on
Grant's lines below
Richmond yesterday.
The oft repetition of this announcement would be wearisome in the extreme did it refer to a matter of less vital importance.
But the Great Army of the
Union lies to-day only distant, at one point, some eight miles from the capital of our country; and not only its every movement, but its very inactivity, is to us matter of the deepest concern.
Therefore it is that we think it necessary, day after day, to chronicle its lack of activity.
Though there have been no movements in advance, we learn there is a very important movement going on in the rear of the Army of the James.
A gentleman who reached this city yesterday from behind the
Yankee lines, reports that the
Yankee army is very much depressed by the result of the recent Presidential election.
They think they see in the re-election of
Lincoln an endless prolongation of the war, and hence are woefully cast down.
They had hoped for
McClellan's election, and that with this consummation would have come peace.
Their disappointment and depression is manifesting itself in desertion.
Our informant says they are going off by whole companies — that the woods are full of them.
They should remember
General Order No. 65, and come this way.
South of
James river there is not much quiet on the lines; but no operations have been undertaken by either army.
There is a good deal of shelling and bombarding in the vicinity of
Petersburg, but little is effected beyond keeping both armies awake.
Three of General-
Hampton's scouts have just performed a very handsome exploit.
Last Thursday they penetrated to the neighborhood of Fort Powhatan, on
James river, below
City Point, and attacked and captured twenty-six Yankees, belonging to the Army of the James, who were foraging on the south side.
They succeeded in reaching
General Hampton's headquarters with twenty-three of the prisoners, three of them having escaped on the way.
The Yankees on the Manassas Gap railroad--Mosby's operations.
An official dispatch, received at the War Department yesterday, states that the enemy are removing the rails from the
Manassas Gap to the Winchester railroad, and that since the enemy occupied the
Manassas road he (
Mosby) had killed, wounded and captured over six hundred of their men, and captured an equal number of their horses.
From the Valley — Rosser Whips the enemy on Friday.
Official dispatches, received last night, state that
Sheridan's army is entrenched between
Newtown and
Kernstown.
Merritt's and
Custar's divisions of cavalry attacked
General Rosser on the 10th, but were repulsed and driven several miles, losing two hundred prisoners and a number of horses.
Rosser's command behaved very handsomely, particularly
Lomax's brigade, under
Colonel Payne, and
Wickham's, under
Lieutenant-Colonel Morgan.
About the same time,
Powell's cavalry division attacked
McCausland's brigade at
Cedarville, on the
Front Royal road, and drove it across the river.
A portion of the
Federal forces heretofore confronting our lines in
East Tennessee have been sent to aid
Sherman.
They told the
Union men that they were going to
Nashville after the election.
Colonel Patton, of one of the
Federal regiments, has removed his family from
Washington county, which is indicative of the fact that they do not expect to hold the county.
Captain Reuben Clark, who was captured by the enemy at
Morristown, has been sentenced to be executed in twenty days by the authorities at
Knoxville.
It is pretended that
Captain Clark is implicated in the killing of a Union man by the name of
Gray, from
Grainger county, but which charge we understand to be wholly false.--Should they carry out this order, no doubt the strictest retaliation will be resorted to by the
Confederate authorities.
General Breckinridge has issued a proclamation grating complete protection to those East Tennessean who may wish to lay down their arms and become peaceable and quiet citizens.
