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.''; S flr ' 1* * 4 .t ,1 ? : ' J > W W W ?" miTii X xxl: - * .. - ; * * r * ". VOLUME II. " VICTORY 1 g DECISIVE BATTLES.! LEE'S ARMYROU1ED A Terrific Charge by General Hancock. Desperate Fury of our Men. Three Generals, 50 Officers, ; 2,000 Men and 12 Guns Captured. ? Splendid news from General Sheridan. H Usd Lee's Communications Totally * Severed. *' . . ? 1 Trains and Supplies Captured. # Over Five Hundred Union Prisoners Retaken. Dispatches from the War Office ' f ? - * : J. I 4 S FIRST DISPATCH. tOFJICIAl,] j ] WARinstTox, May 11?11.30 P. M. To Jfaj.-Grneral Mx: Dispatches from Gen. Grant, dated at 3 o'clock this morning, have jnst reached . ? this department. He says : "AUn ''OVA rirvw (?nrlpr? thfi sixth dav of ?T U 11UIV UVTT ? very heavy fighting. The result to this time is much in our favor. Our losses have been heavv, as well as those of the enemy. I think the loss of the enemy must he greater. We hare taken over 5,000 prisoners in battle, whilst he has taken from us but few except stragglers. I propose to fight' it out on this line, if it takes all Sunimer." The Government is sparing no pains to support him ' EDWIN M. STANTON, . : i /I Secretary af War. SECOND DISPATCH. ' ramcTit.}^'' Wamilv?ton, May 1 J?S.15 P. K. . 3? Jfcy'.-Gen. Dix : ? A dispatch from Gem* Sheridan, dated 44 Headquarters of the Cavalry Corps, May 10," states that he tnmed the enemy's, right, and got into their rear,' had des-' troyed from eight to ten miles of railroad two locomotives and three trains, an#a very large quantities of supplies; and that since he had got into their rear there was great excitement among the inhabitants and the army. The enemy's cavalry, had tried to annoy his rear and" flank, but had been run off, "and he had re-captured five hundred of our men?two of them Colonels. }io dispatches have been received for two dap from Gon. Butler. Dispatches received from Gen. Steele report "*is command as having arrived at Little Rock. Ho had fought a superior force of the enemy, commanded by Kirby Smith in person, at Saline River, and defeated them. A steamboat from Red River, arrived to-day at Cairo, reports reinforcements going up to Gen. Banks. Gen. Canby had passed Cairo on his way to Red River. EDWIN M. STANTON. Secretary of War. Wamuxotox, May 12. Yesterday morning the lighting was again renewed, and was continued with various success until about II o'clock, when our lines were somewhat advanced. At that hour a flag of truce is reported to have been sent by Lee, who asked for a cessation of hostilities for forty-eighthours, that h* might bury his dead. fimnt r*-T>lw>rt tHnt he had not time to bury bis own, and would advance immediately ; and some parts of our line were therefore pushed forward. It is stated that the woods were shelled, but no response was elicitedifrom where the enemy's centre had been a few hours before. The prisoners captured on Tuesday and Wednesday number over 1,000. The re j v. I / \j I > ? If . !< J f.j , i . V 1PDT? i J: Iv Hi ? " ? TT-n/\-nm n/"\TTrpxi /I A 15-hiAUJFUIVl, OUUJLxi vzi bel dead and wounded were found covering almost every foot of ground wherever our troeps surged forward and the rebels gave wav. j ? The slaughter among our troops wagv terrific, but not so great as that of thfc enemy, and but few captures were made by the latter. Dispatcheslfrom the Army of the Potomac. dated Wilderness battlefield yester-, i day, say, probably the most desperate , fighting of the past seven terrible days I took place on Tuesday, t Believing the enemy to have sent a 1 greater part of his troops to Iiichhpgfcd, j an advance along the entire line wasrde* , termined on at an early horn*. The Second Corps having the right of j the line, had crossed the Po River tlf# I evening previous, and had met with buf I slight opposition. In*the morning the position of the enemy was foiu^l to be in tl^ shape of 3 horseshoe, and on Hancock's troops advancing to attack they were compelled to | fall back. - * An attempt to break their centre was j then ordered, and part of Hancocks men were sent to support Warren in the movement. Our* right was alfo advanced, and the ! move was begun in tlie afternoon. ' The enemy were driven into their in: trenchments in gallant style, and Upton's , brigade of Wright's division. Sixth Corps, I got into Ae energy's rifle pits, capturing I twelve guns and about one thousand prisoners. * Not being supported by other portions of the line, who were unable to gain the tier of works in their front, this brigade was forced to evacuate its advanced position, leaving the captured guns, after spiking them, but bringing oil' all the prisoners. The enemy.snfiered heavy losses during the fight, our shells falling into their works, and our infantry delivering their fire with remarkable precision. ? Gen. Rice was wounded in the thigh early in the engagement, and died after his leg had been amputated, i Gen. Stevenson is also reported killed. He commanded a brigade in Biumside's corps. Our losses were very heavy. Gen. Gibbons' division has lost altoge. thAr over a thousand men. w Gen. Robinson's division, after losing both its general officers and about two thousand five hundred men,: had no era! to command<it? and it has been brok' 1 en no and distributed among other divi sions of the Etfth Corps. No division 'of the army fought better than th? one. / The; Ninth New York State Militia fought gloriously, and suffered probably more than any other regiment in the held. After the action four officers and fifteen I men were all that was left, of it, except a j few on detached duty,. ? I Lieut. Luper, of the Ninetieth Pennsylvania, had his head blown off by a piece of shell. The rebels are in very strong positions, behind earthworks, abattis and woods, and in many places it is impossible to penetrate to them. Buroside is reported,to be within a mile of Spottsjlvania Court House, about to turn the reoel right. If he is successful we shall obtain possion of the point which the struggle lias j been for during the past three days, and | then Lee must retreat. I At 1 o'clock on Tuesday a fire] raged I between the two armies, at a point in the line, and a large number of wounded of both parties were lying on the spot, nnr mpn. in atteinnting to get their i comrades off tlie field were fired on by | the rebel skirmishers and driven off, and the poor sutlers had to be left to perish in the fiames. Gentlemen prominently connected with the Government are to-day in good spirits,, in view of the recent military events in 1 Virginia, and consider our final triumph merely a question of time. Movements J are in progress which will soon be pubj licly developed, forming a part of the i general plan, looking to success, i Gen. Burnside directed to have his friends in Washington told that everything looked very favorable and hopefuL VAhHiNGTON, Thursday, May 18. It was Gen. Hill's corps that Gen. Burnside repulsed so gallantly, The &'or says : ! Gen. Burnside's colored troops were I held in reserve, but were subsequently } r r : ?. " f * E SOI HOLINA, MAY 21, 1864. i. . brought into action and fought with desperation. Their officers expected to have consid- j . prnV?ta difficnltv in restraining them, as ' they appeared desirous not to take any prisoners, being exasperated by the re- . ! mem brance of Fort Pillow and the atrocities committed there by the rebels on I their race. j * It was believed in the army that Sigel having made forced marches, had de-* stroyed Lee's railroad connections with Lynchburgh, and that Sheridan had done to his communications with Richmond. An order was given for another advance 1 yesterday morning. j At G o'clock A. M., when our informant (left, our centre and right were heavily engaged with the rebels. The Ninth Corps was then on the , I march. Our losses are represented to have been j very heavy, but everything looks hopeful. Prominent officers say that we shall j soon see the end. I It is confirmed that in an order issued I on Monday, found on some prisoners, that Gen. Lee notified his army that his ! communication with Richmond was-* broken, and no rations could be drawn [ from thence, and he advised them to capture supplies from our army. Gen. Grant had captured up to yester- : day about 6,000 prisoners. ' Part of a { regiment was captured entire..* It was ; I composed of men who had been exchanged but a few weeks since, f The loss of the enemy in killed is much greater than ours. His wounded are supposed to be about the same. The latest edition of the Stur of this af- , ternoon has the following : 1 " Gen. Lee is reported to have asked I tnv a nAssnh'cm of hostilities to burv his ' | dead." y Gen. Grant replies that lie lias not liad time to bury liis own dead, and that he proposes to advance immediately. The woods were shelled, and Gen. Lee turned up miasing in front. Yesterday morning the fighting was again resumed and continued with varying success until about 11 o'cleck, when otrr line had somewhat advanced. " Later.?dJp to this morning we have received no confirmation of the rumor in | regard to Gen. Lee above mentioned, but ; the faot that such a report was current in Fredericksbsirgb -yesterday shows the bOuyant feeling there in regard to our position, based upon a knowledge of general facts of a hopeful nature," ' Washington, May 13?-5-3S P, M. Maj.Oen.Dix; ?y. w ? Official dispatches are just received by this Department, dated yesterday, 8 A. M.yat the bhttle-field near Spotsylvania Court House. . i i t i . i They state that during the night Gen. Hancock marched from his previous nosi- ! tioii 011 our right, and .occupied the ' ground between Gens. Wright and. Burnside. At daylight he attacked with his accustomad impetuosity, forcing die first, and then the second line of thf> enemy's works, capturing the whole o i Edward Johnson's division and part < jt Early's, together with Maj. Gen. Joh nson, Gen. Stewart, and from 40 to 50 ca anon. (; The number of prisoners ' & not given, but is to be counted by tliov xsands. Gen. Burnside, on the. extreme left, opened at the same time , ^ith Gen. Hancock. and advanced wit! i comparatively little opposition. His ri ght iias formed a junction with Gen. Har /jock, and his left is now actively engage A, Gen. Wright's tro( go attacked at 7:15 o'clock, and are now at work. i Gen. Warren is demonstrating to hold i the enemy in froD .t of his lines. The rebel I works at that . point are exceedingly i strong. EDWIN ill. STANTON, Secretary of War. Batttx Fit j.r? xrAi: Siwren-VASM, C. If., ) | ?U>-12?3 P. M./ | We have to-day achieved a signal sue- j cess by the capture of two lines of the j enemy's ritie pits. Mq. -Gen. Ed. Johuson, commanding a i ? division, of Ewell's Corps, with three of his brigadiers, Stewart, Johnson, and an- , other whose name I have been unable to learn, captured from 20 to 40 pieces of artilleiy, and about 3,000 prisoners. The honor of the achievement belongs Maj. -Gen. Hancock, who last night, at 11 ! o'clock, moved his corps down to our left, and at early dawn charged the rebel works, taking the enemy by surprise and making the captures above mentioned. Our men are jubilant, and perfectly confident of i success. 11 ITH. NUMBER 19. All order l'rom headquarters to the troops, announcing our captures, was read this morning, and produced the greatest enthusiasm. Rebel prisoners states that their army is fearfully demoralized, and that if the tight continues but few will be left to tell the tale of the battle of the Wilderness. The tight has raged desperately all .day. At about 9 o'clock A. IVI., the enemy charged upon the works taken by General Hancock earlier in the morning, and for three or four hours endeavored to repossess their rifle pits. They were in every instance repulsed with great slaughter, and our men are now in undisturbed possession of their works. Burnside occupies the extreme left of our position and has been engaged to-daT. Considerable cannonading on our right is still going on. The bands along the line are playing national airs and every one is confident of success. Maj.-General Sheridan commanding the Cavalry Corps has destroyed ten miles of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad near Gordonsville, also two locomotives and a large amount of supplies near Beaver Dam, he also captured 500 of our men taken prisoners during the late battle, say he has been annoyed by flank and rear attacks, which he invariably repulsed, and that he expects to fight the enemy's cavalry on the other side of the South Anna River. It has been raining very hard at intervalg all day. The fighting has nevertheless been incessant. Gen. Eager, with re-enforeements, is expected up to-night or to-morrow morning from Belle Plain and Fredericksburg. Our lines have been concentrated, and are now not over two miles in length. Oar losses to-day have been very heavy. Stotthtlvania C*int Horsr, Va.,> Friday, -May 13, S A. >1., 1*M. ( Hen. E. V, Stanton, Secretary of Were: Lee abandoned his position during the night, whether to occupy a new positiou in the vicinity, or to make a thorough retreat, is not determined. One division of Wright's and one of Hancock's are engaged in settling thin question, and at 7}? A. M. had come up on his rear guard. Though on* army is greatly fatigued from the enormous efforts of yesterday, the news of Lee's departure inspires the men with fresh energy. The whole force will soon he, in motion, but the heavy rains of the last thirty-six hours render the roads ver j difficult for wagons and artillery. The proportion, of severely wounded is greater than on either of the previous days' fighting. This was owing to the urreat uxe made of artillery. / | ; f " \Yawiu*?to>, Friday, 2:40 P. M., May 13,1(w4. To 3faj. G*n. Dte: '' A dispatch from Lieut. Gen. Grant ha* jnst been received, dated Spot tsy Ivan ia ?ourt House, May 12, 0:30 P. M. It is as follows : The eighth day of battle closed, leaving between 3,000 and 4,000 prisoners in our hands for the day, including two general officers and over thirty pieces of artillery. The enemy are obstinate, and seem *r? have found the "last ditch." We have lost no organization?not even a company?while we have destroyed and captured one division (Johnson's), one brigade IDobb", and one regiment entire of the enemy's. 'E, M. STANTON, Secretary ofW.-r. Wasuixoton, Friday, May IS?i P. V. An Extra St'tr has the following: "We learn from bigh authority tint a dispatch received in this city last evening from Gen. Sheridan stating that he 1 ad cut off communication with Richmond? by destroying ten miles of railroad ' etween Gen. Lee ani Richmond?capt red three rebel trains, and released 500 U ion prisoners who were on the train." A III'bit? UUll^lilUI Ul it ivvvi v* * coal mine in Pennsylvania, was inquisitive as to the nature of a hell, upon which her father represented it to be a large gulf of tire of the most prodigious extent. *4Fa," said she, "cduidn't you get the devil to buy coal of you?" A G'nlpepper farmer, on whose farm the opposing picketts are stationed, recentlyremarked to a Union officer: "I haint took no sides in this yer rebellion, but I'll be dog gorned if both sides haint took me." Some of our military officers have four aids?promenade, serenade, lemonade. and gasconade, and still are of little aid to the country. ? / ^