The very Latest.
four days fighting.
Fortress Monroe, July 1.
--4 o'clock P. M.--A gunboat has just arrived at Fortress Monroe, from the scene of action yesterday, ten miles above City Point.
That division of our army has been fighting four days, and have released about seventeen miles. The fight of yesterday was left terrific, the enemy having two or three to our one.--The battle commenced with our armies forces, aid, after about four hours fighting, our gunboat got in range, and poured into the rebels a heavy and incessant fire.
This fire the rebels stood about two hours and then retreated.
Our troops have captured, notwithstanding their disadvantages a large number of artillery pieced and 2,000 prisoners, among whom is the rebel General Magruder.
The place where this last action took place is near Turkey Creek.
The retreat of the enemy last evening was with great disorder, and their loss has been very heavy — much greater, it is thought, than ours.
Still I have nothing definite in regard to loss.
In the retreat forced upon General-McClellan by the superior numbers of the enemy, I learn that he had to spike his siege guns and leave them on the field, after burning the carriages.
The nature of the soil rendered it impossible to move them.
In the retreat many of our sick and wounded were necessarily left behind.
There are, of course, innumerable reports and rumors here, but I send, only what appears to be authentic.
In addition to the foregoing, we copy the following from last evening's Star:
Two or three gentlemen, including the Prince de Joinville, reached Washington this forenoon, from Gen. McClellan's immediate front, and a dispatch has been received here, sent some hours after they left there yesterday afternoon.
We gather that the battle of Saturday last was the most terrific of the week, and that a heavy one also occurred on Monday last.
Further, that Gen. McClellan is in position and successfully repulsing the attacks made upon him. His Army Bed between the point recently held as his left flank and Turkey Island or point, on James river, eight miles below Fort Darling.
We gather further that Gen. McClellan feels success of holding his ground, from which he expects to move forward upon Richmond.
Our losses, though great, do not equal those of the rebels, who are fighting like devils incarnate, knowing well that McClellan's late movement, if they cannot speedily overwhelm him, insures the eventual fall of Richmond.
In the meanwhile, by this time considerable reinforcements of fresh troops — probably quite as many as he has lost in the four days fighting — have doubtless reached him, and others follow close on their heels.
In another article the Star says: ‘
The Richmond papers of Saturday claim to have ‘"driven"’ our army from its late position on the bank of James river; to have killed hecatombs of our troops, and taken immense numbers of prisoners.
No copies of these papers have reached here, but accounts of their contents have.
Our reliable information from the front, from Union sources, it will be recollected, was, yesterday, up to Saturday forenoon, when our gallant leaders were well satisfied with the result up to that time of the object of their movement (which the Richmond papers represent as a forced one on McClellan's part.) To our positive knowledge, Gen. McClellan on that day remarked that he would make no report concerning the action until he regarded the movement and its contingents (the fighting) over.
This accounts for the non-receipt here of advices from him upon the subject. ’
The News in New York.
The New York correspondent of the Philadelphia Inquirer, under date of June 30, says: ‘ We do not know what to make of the thousand and one reports that come to us from the Grand Army in front of Richmond. The telegrams are all a muddle, and everybody is sorely perplexed. Mr. Seward has been run down all day, at the Astor, by anxious inquirers, but he says he is no wiser than the rest of us. The newspaper offices have been thronged from morning till night, and every telegraphic bulletin ‘"from Craig"’ has been watched with an eagerness that bespeaks the anxiety of the public mind and the public heart. Down town, among the Bulls and the Bears, the news produced a general stampede. Everything is down. ’Gen. Scott on his way to Washington.
[From the N. Y. Sun, June 30.] The Hudson River steamboat Armenia conveyed to the city from West Point, on Saturday, General Scott, accompanied by his servants, carriage, and baggage, under circumstances pointing to an early residence at Washington. We have before intimated that President Lincoln has found the services of the old General, as a military — adviser, not to be lightly dispensed with, and the patriotic inclinations of General Scott prompt him to accept almost any honorable position near the President, in which his long military experience may be of benefit to the country.Later from New Orleans.
New York, June 28.
--The steamer Marion, from New Orleans on the 20th has arrived.
A citizen had been condemned to two years confinement in the parish prison for kidnapping a negro.
Two soldiers, convicted of theft, had been drummed out of the 31st Massachusetts regiment.
Col. Kimball, with four companies of the 12th Maine regiment, had broken up a camp at Manchaca.
There had been for some weeks 180 men there with a number of heavy guns.
They skedaddled on the approach of our forces, leaving their camp equipage, regimental colors, and some of their nether garments.
Gen. Butler had issued a modified form of oath for foreign residents, by which persons taking it only swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
A train on the Memphis and Charleston
Railroad captured by the rebels.
Memphis, June 26.
--The first train on the Memphis and Charleston railroad for Corinth, with a number of teams and wagons, and one company of the 56th Ohio, besides several officers, were attacked by a large force of rebel cavalry yesterday, about twelve miles from this city.
The rebels destroyed the locomotive and burned the cars, killed ten of our men, and captured several officers, including Col. Kinsey, Majors Pride and Sharpe, railroad superintendent; Capt. McMichael, of Gen. Grant's staff, who was taken prisoner at Shiloh, and had just been exchanged.
