The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-18 00:00:00

On Wednesday Stoneman, with a large force of
cavalry, started south through Culpepper, charged
with the daring mission of destroying the railroad
bridges on the Pamunkey River, and thus cutting
off the Confederate retreat on Richmond by every
route. He bee not yet been heard of. Hooketwas
evidently heat on the total destruction of one or
other of the two armies. If his plans even par-
tially succeeded Lee's army was annihilated.
On Saturday morning the ball was opened in
real earnest. Jackson, on the right, threw.himeelf
heddloag, with 40,000 of the beet troops of the
Confederates, on the Federal right, held by the
11th Corps, composed almost entirely of Germans.
The rascals broke and fled at the first oneet, and
rushed to the rear in mad confusion. All attempts
to rally them were vain, and Jackson, pushing
furiously on, bad turned the Federal flank, and bid
fair to be soon in their rear. Hooker's peculiar
qualities now shone out resplendent. He was on the
spot in an instant, brought up his own old corps, now
commanded by General Berry, and ordered them not
to fire, but to go in with the bayonet, and ordered
up gases of artillery to support them. Jackson
was illetriy driven back, bat the storm if Riskier.
who had broken the enemy's centre, was neutralised
by this &water. The day closed without any
material change in the position of either party. The
Federals had held their ground with comparatively
small ices, and this, of course, was success. The
Confederates kad lost terribly, owing to the reckless
bravery of their onslaughts. They rushed bite
baiasfe on the batteries, and were mowed down with
the same terrible carnage as at Malvern-hill. The
action was renewed on Sunday with similar results.
The Federal right never completely recovered
its lost ground, but this has effected no material
change in its position. The centre is still at Chan-
oellorsville, and the whole line is now strongly for-
tified, and the relations of the combatants may be
said to remain unchanged. But there are 4,000
Confederate prisoners in the hands of the Federal'.
The losses of the former in the three days' fighting
are known to have been enormous ; and Sedgvriok
attacked and stormed the famous heights of Fre-
dericksburg, against which so many brave fellows
beat their brains out last winter, on Sun-

day evening, capturing a thousand prisoners
and eight pieces of artillery. The "situation"
at the moment I write, or at least at the date of
the last advice. from the battlefield, stands thus :
Hooker has nearly 100,000 men at Chancellors-
vine in the rear of Fredericksburg, and holds the
heights behind the town, the former Confederate
position, and below the town he has some 30,000.
The interval between th 4 two columns is about five
miles, and in this space lies Leda army. It has,
if it does not succeed in dislodging Hooker inside the
nest two or three days, no alternative but to en-
deavour to fall back on Richmond along the Frede-
ricksburg railroad ; the other liue by Gordonsville
is now cut off. On the difficulties of this operation,
with an army on either flank, I shall not
►ttempt to • dilate. And it is not to be
forgotten, that if Stoneman's cavalry have succeeded
in reaching the Pamunkey and destroying the
bridges, one of which it would take a fortnight at
least to repair, the Confederate retreat and com-
munications with theirbase would be entirely out of
The possible consequences of all this are too momen-
tous for me to do more than allude to them. They
may be seen at a glance. But the fortune of war is
proverbially fickle. Generals of less ability than
Lee and with worse armies than his have before
now succeeded in extricating themselves from worse

scrapes than that in which he now finds
himself. However this may be, all accounts

represent Hooker as still eager, confident,
steady, fertile in resource, and sanguine of success.
He avers that he looks not simply for victory, but
for the total destruction of the enemy ; and certainly
no man who has yet appeared on the scene has dis-
played the same ability to back up his threats.
Gold fell 21 per cent. yesterday under the news,
and there is general confidence in the result.
The reports-of the prisoners represent Lee's army
as having been largely reinforced during the last
ten days from Charleston, another proof of the
lamentable want of concert in the Federal opera-
tions. As long as the attack on Charleston was
impending at least 50,000 men were held in
readiness under Beauregard to repel it, and it
ought not to have been made until Hooker had
begun to move. But having oome off • fortnight
ago, and it being well known that there is no im-
mediate probability of its renewal, the enemy have
been able to withdraw a large portion of their
force to strengthen Lee. Should Hooker succeed in
" begging" them all, of course so much the better,
but he may not, and if he should be worsted, be
may possibly have to thank the " every man
for himself" system for his disaster. As matters
now stand, I do not think there is much to fear
except from the heavy rain storfo which has
been raging to-day and yesterday, and which has
probably reached Virginia. This may reduce the
roads to such • condition that movements on
Hooker's part may become impossible, while it
would not seriously interfere with the operations of
the enemy's railroad, always supposing that Stone-
man has not cut it. Moreover, it would give the
Confederates very probably time to collect their
senses, recover from their surprise, re-organise their
army, and strengthen their position, all of which
it is important for Hooker that they should not
have.

The news from the West is of much the same
tenour as when I last wrote. Banks has pursued
his victorious career, and is now said to have occu-
pied Alexandria, on the Red River. Grant's
movements are still reported to be downward, and
the Confederate newspapers state that large bodies
of Federal cavalry are operating against the rail-
road lines in the interior of Mississippi One of
these raids the Jackson Appeal pronounces " the
most daring the Yankees have yet undertaken ;"
but we know little yet either as to their object,
or as to what they have accomplished. For the
moment, and with reason, all attention is eoncen-
trated on the army of the Potomac.

SAILING or Till GiRAT FeAIITIRN.--011 Saturday
last the Great Eastern left the !ferny for New York,
amidst the hearty chows of several thousands of spectators,
who throoPd the Oa heads sad Ladies stages to me the
big ship off. She takes oat GOO pommels, 80 of whom
are first-elms, and about 2,000 tons of cargo. The state•
meet put forth by • Leedom contemporary to the effect
that this ship would take out 1,300 recruits for the Federal
army is incorrect, as no application was ever made to the
agents of the great ship company to fit up accommodation
for mach a large number of male passengers.
—arttrilling a light," fifty years since, was done
by a Mat sad idea, sad a Inciter mach wee imaildend a
physical baposdbility. they are still sceptical of the MM.
plaint to thommada, of Herrings. Magnetic Brush and Comb re-
Marina the colour 0 heir, and coring the severest cease of
amusigia sod 11•1•0011 Oeedeshe. Recent haprevensents prevent
the potability of their failure. N.B.—Counterfeits are beteg
made. Offoes, 5.7, Baalughall.street. London.—fAdvertteament.)