The Express.
London, England, 1865-04-15 00:00:00

RETREAT AND PURSUIT OF LEE.

(sstrrsa's ricsoam.)

The Royal Mail steamship Australasian, from
New York on the sth inst., arrived at Queens-
town at 4.30 a.m. to-day (April 15), with 67 pas-
sengers. She landed 112 sacks of mails and three
passengers, and proceeded for Liverpool at 4.40
a.m. All well.
The Australasian experienced easterly winds ball
way across the Atlantic.

NEW YORK, *Aram 5, Noox.
After three days bloody battle, Grant occupied
Richmond and Petersburg on Monday morning.
Lee retreated north of the Appomattox, in the
direction of Lynchburg, closely pursued by Grant,
who was capturing numbers of prisoners along the
route.
Correspondents estimate Lee's loss at 15,000
killed and wounded, 25,000 prisoners, and from
100 to 200 guns.
Grant's losses are 7,000 men. Gold 1481
Official reports from General Grant to President
Lincoln received on Sunday announced that severe
and bloody fighting had been progressing around
Richmond during Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
At noon on Monday it was officially announced
that Petersburg had been evacuated, and that
General Weitzel had occupied Richmond eatly
that morning, finding the city in flames, which he
was endeavouring to extinguish. During Sunday
Sheridan had torn up the South side railroad, and
captured three infantry brigades and several bat-
teries of artillery.
Grant has roughly estimated that he captured
during the battles 12,000 prisoners and 50 guns ;
many guns were also found in Richmond.
After the evacuation of Petersburg, and the
capture of Richmond, Grant started towards the
Danville-road, to cut off Lee's retreat.
The latest despatches from Richmond are from
Weitzel, of Tuesday's date, simply stating that
large quantities of railroad stock have been found
there.
Early on Tuesday morning Grant telegraphed
from Sutherland Station :
"Ten miles from Petersburg, towards Burks-
ville, Sheridan has picked up 1,200 prisoners
to-day, and 200 to 300 more have been picked
up by my troops. The majority of the arms
left in Lee's rear were scattered between Rich-
mond and where his troops are now lying. The
retreat was marked with artillery ammunition,
burned or charred waggons, caissons, and am-
bulances."
Grant's latest despatches are dated Wilson's
Station, Tuesday, and report that his army was
pushing forward in the hope of overtaking or dis-
persing the remainder of Lee's army.
Sheridan's ,cavalry, with the sth corps, waa be-
tween Wilson'al station and the Appomattox,
General Meade following. All Lee's troops re-
taining anything 'like organization had gone north
of the Appomattox, apparently heading for Lynch-
burg. The Confederate losses were very heavy.
Stragglers were found in all directions.
The pursuit had been so close, that the enemy
bad probably destroyed the greater part of the
transportation caissons and munitions of war. It
waa.believed that the prisoners taken on Monday
would exceed 2,000, and that from March
28 until now Grant's losses in killed,
wounded, and captured, would not reach
7,000, of whom 1,500 to 2,000 were captured, many
of them being slightly wounded. Grant would
continue the pursuit as long as there appeared any
use in doing so.
Correspondents concur in stating that the turn-
ing point in the battles before Richmond was a
bloody engagement at Five Forks on Saturday,
which was won by Sheridan turning Lee's right,
thus rendering his lines in front of Petersburg un-1
tenable, and compelling the evacuation of Richmond.'
Sheridan's attempt on Thursday to reach White
Oak road and get in Lee's rear was unsuccessful.
On Friday, Sheridan, although reinforced by War-
ren, was again driven back. On Saturday, Sheri-
dan assumed the command of Warren's as well as
his own corps, and is said to have displayed great
generalship, capturing, disabling, and rendering
unavailable fully one-third of Lee's army.
The attack along the whole line followed on Sun-
day, the Confederates being forced back from their
entrenchments. Lee retreated during Sunday
night.
Before evacuating Richmond the Co nfederate
blew up the forts and rams on the James river.
Very little property was destroyed at Petersburg.
During Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Lincoln was
at City Point. He visited Petersburg on Monday,
and is said to have been in Richmond yesterday, in
Davis's house.
Unprecedented enthusiasm prevails throughout
the North.
Sherman is at Goldsborougb. Johnston has
made no demonstration since the battle of Benton-
ville. The Confederates are principally posted on
the Goldsborongh and Raleigh Railroad between
Smithfield and Raleigh. They are strongly forti-
fying Raleigh and Weldon. Some reports state
that the Confederates are north of the river. They
have an iron-clad ram in the Upper Roanoke
River, which is expected shortly to move down to
Plymouth into the Sound. The Federal
cavalry, 20,000 strong, is reported to have
reached Carling station 20 miles from Bristol on the
28th ult. It is reported from Lynchburg. on the
27th ult., that they had fallen back to Greenville.
Stoneman's cavalry has occupied Boone, North
Carolina.
Canby arrived at Danby's Mills, 10 miles from
Mobile, on the 23rd ult. Grainger's corps has
moved by land from Navy Cove, and nearly reached
Danby's Mills.
An engagement between the monitors and shore
batteries was believed to be progressing on the
23rd. Canby's cavalry was raiding near Mont-
gomery, Alabama. He had cat the Alabama and
Florida Railroad. The citizens of Montgomery
had been called to defend their city.
A Federal transport, from Wilmington with
troops and refugees, has been burned off Cape
Hatteras. More than 500 persons were lost.
The Confederates have captured the propellor
Talnacent, and converted her into a privateer. She
has since captured several schooners.
General Ortega has arrived at Santa FIS, en route
for Washiugton, to confer with the Federal govern-
ment on the present state of things in Mexico.
Mr. Seward has made a speech at Washington,
stating that, if the people approved :it, the policy of
the United States after the war would be non-
interference in the domestic affairs of other eoun-