Latest from the North.
We have received the
Washington Chronicle, of Sunday, of the 7th inst. It is chiefly filled with news copied from the
Herald of the day before, of which we gave a full synopsis in the
Dispatch of yesterday.
Grant telegraphs from
Vicksburg, on the 21, that he can maintain the siege and take care of
Joe Johnston.
Three hundred horses had been shot on the river bank by the rebels because they could not be fed.
Vallandigham will certainly be nominated for
Governor of
Ohio.
The
Chronicle states that
the Army of the Potomac is only changing camps. Fifty-six prisoners, captured at
Fredericksburg, arrived at
Washington on Saturday night. Gold was quoted at 142½, a decline of 3½ on the quotations of Friday.
A dispatch to the Cincinnati
Commercial, dated
Vicksburg, the 30th, says:
‘
A deserter came into our lines this morning.
He represents that he was sent by
Gen. Pemberton to communicate verbally with
Gens. Johnston and
Loring.
The former is supposed to be between the
Big Black river and
Jackson.
The latter was near
Port Gibson.
He represents affairs in the city as growing desperate.
About eighteen thousand effective men are there, two-thirds of whom are kept on the fortifications night and day, and not allowed to leave an instant on any pretext.
Gens. Pemberton,
Lee,
Reynolds,
Stevenson and others are in the city.
Most of the sick left the city before its investment.
Those who remain have excavated caves and remain in them night and day. Valuable merchandize in the city is also stored in caves from fear of conflagration.
The poor are generally in their houses.
Over one hundred women and children have been killed by our bombardment.
The gunboats inflicted no injury on the city.
Gen. Pemberton believed his rations would hold out thirty days, but urged
Johnston to come to his relief within ten days at the farthest.
Cavalry horses have been turned loose and driven towards our lines, owing to the lack of forage.
There was ammunition enough to last sixty days, with the single exception of gun caps.
Those were scarce.
All confidently expected superhuman efforts to be made by those outside to raise the siege.
They consider
Vicksburg the strongest place in the
Confederacy.
Gen. Blair has met no enemy in force, and the reports of
Johnston being near are disbelieved.
A cavalry reconnaissance three days ago discovered a small force, and had one man killed and four wounded.
This morning the heaviest cannonading of the siege was kept up without intermission for nearly three hours. New batteries have lately been put in position, and one hundred and fifty guns are playing on the city.
At daylight this morning the firing was rapid beyond belief.
The reports of the guns along the whole line averaged one per second for minutes together.
The roar of the heavy siege guns was awful, and the earth was shaken by the concussion.
Our wounded are removed to hospital boats in large numbers and transported to
Memphis.
’
Reported movements of Lee's army.
The Washington
Star, of the evening of the 5th, contains the following relative to
Gen. Lee's movements:
‘
We learn that there were indications on Wednesday night that
Lee was massing forces at
United States Ford, on the
Rappahannock, apparently either to attempt a crossing there or to make a feint for a crossing elsewhere.
It would not be proper for us to intimate what preparations
Hooker has made to meet the enemy should they undertake to pay his side of the river a visit; but it is safe to say that
Lee will find the attempt a hazardous one and that he will not be permitted to return with impunity when once across.
The rebels have some facilities for crossing just now, in the very low stage of the water in the
Rappahannock, which can be crossed almost dry shod at numerous points; otherwise than this they will find "
Jordan so hard a road to travel" in their proposed invasion project (as evidenced by their fluctuating plans and movements) that
Lee has, it is believed, advised the abandonment of the project; and if he undertakes it, will do so against his judgment, by force of the "On to
Washington" pressure, which seems at the
South to be a counterpart of the famous "On to
Richmond" cry, which prevailed with us at one time with such disastrous results.
’
The Washington
Republican mentions the rumor that
Alexandria is in danger, and says:
‘
The pretext for this is, that contrabands and other laborers have been at work, for a few days past, in constructing stockades and block-houses, in order to render any raid into
Alexandria, where we have a large amount of Government stores, absolutely impossible.
It is simply a precautionary measure which should have been taken months ago.
’
An Impudent raid by Mosby.
The Yankee papers publish an "impudent" raid by
Mosby on the
Federal relief reserve picket, on the
Frying Pan road, near Fairfax C. H., on the 4th inst. The dispatch says:
‘
They came suddenly on the relief, intermingling themselves so much that they could not be distinguished from our own soldiers, and, as they wore the
Federal uniform, it was difficult to discriminate.
They succeeded in wounding one of our men in the neck and in killing a horse.
They suffered no punishment in return.
Reinforcements to our guard soon arrived, one of whom the rebels killed, and then fled to the woods, where they kept up a desultory firing until five o'clock this morning, without inflicting any further damage.
Col. Gray, with four squadrons of cavalry, then started in pursuit, and, as far as heard from, has only succeeded in capturing a rebel surgeon.
He represents
Mosby to be in command on this occasion, with a force of from fifty to one hundred men, and says that his (
Mosby's) horse was shot and one man killed.
Major-General Stahl and
Gen. Copeland have started for the scene of action.
’
The Recent Cavalry fight near Franklin
A dispatch has been published giving a brief Yankee account of a fight between the
Confederate and their cavalry, near
Franklin, Tenn.
A dispatch from
Murfreesboro', dated the 4th, says:
‘
The rebels have been reconnoitering on our front.
Yesterday
Wheeler appeared on the
Manchester, and this morning on the
Shelbyville road.
Brisk skirmishing has been kept up all day. The Second Indiana cavalry, on picket duty, was first attacked, and the Thirty ninth Indiana.
Col. Harrison, of the first brigade of
Gen. Davis's division, was subsequently sent to their assistance.
The rebels were driven about a mile.
Our loss was only one man killed and several wounded.
The Fourth cavalry was engaged at the same time on the
Middletown road.
In this last fight seven were killed and wounded.
Col. McCook reports hearing heavy firing in the direction of
Triune.
Gen. Granger telegraphs that
Gen. Baird, of the 85th Indiana, in command at
Franklin, was attacked to-day by rebel cavalry.
At the latest dates
Baird was still fighting, with some prospect of capturing the enemy.
We hear of no rebel infantry engaged.
Their cavalry is engaged in reconnoitering the whole line.
’
Nashville, June 5.--The news from
Franklin up to 2 o'clock P. M. to-day is, that
Col. Baird was attacked by 1,200 rebel cavalry yesterday, who drove his forces back into the entrenchments.
They rallied, however, and soon repulsed the enemy with heavy loss.
Simultaneously an attack was made upon our forces at
Triune, but the rebels were repulsed with a loss of 200 men, 400 horses, and a lot of camp and garrison equipage.
