The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-12 00:00:00

Another Confederate Raid into Maryland.

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Stu irt's cavalry has m ide another raid. The
TVashington Star gives the following version of the
affair :
" A force of rebel cavalry with a battery of artil-
lery, suddenly appeared at 8 a.m. on Saturday
(27th) in front of Dumfries, then held by our stb,
7th, and 66'h Ohio Volunteers, with a section of
two pieces of ItHivey's battery. The rebels were
at first estimated at 4,000 strong. They cut the
wires leading to Falmouth, attacked our troops,
who had three men killed, and were driven off. In

the meanwhile information reached these head-
quarters, per telegraph, before they succeeded in
cutting the wires leading i❑ this direction. Troops
from this quarter were instantly put in motion to,
if possible, cut off their retreat. To that end Gen,

Geary marched from Wolf Run imn ediately to the
relief of the troops engaged at Dumfries. After
being worsted before Geary's arrival they pushed
directly for Occoquan, where they had a slight en
gagement with 1,500 troops stationed there under
Col. Candy, resulting in considerable loss on either
side, ours maintaining their position. They next
decamped up Ball Run, crossing it at Wolf Run.
Thence they went to Annandale, via Burke's sta-
tion, where they encamped on Saturday night, thus
avoiding points where we had troops stationed. At
daybreak yesterday morning they were again in the
saddle, making for the vicinity of Vienna. In the
meantime our troops at Fairfax Court house did
their best to head them off in that direction, but,
being infantry, could not get up in time to do so.
They were last seen in the vicinity of Lewinsburg,
where their number was estimated at but 1,000
cavalry and tour pieces of artillery, at nightfal
yesterday, when they were under whip and spur,
evidently bent on escaping in the direction of Lees-
burg. They certainly got nothing for their pains
but 15 empty waggons belonging to Col. Kellogg's
cavalry command. Throughout the line of their
raid they had occasional skirmishes with Col.
Kellogg's cavalry, who, though forced to fall back,
exchanged many shots with them, with no damage
to his command that we have been able to hear
of. His heaviest skirmish with them was at
Accotink. At one time they had possession of one
of our guns at Dumfries, but were forced to aban-
don it to us again in their retreat.
" Latest.--We have just received reliable infor-
mation that the rebels were badly repulsed on Se'
turday at Dumfries. Oa their retreat they fell in
with our troops under General Geary,between Dam-
fries and Wolf Run, and were driven by them south
of the road. They aimed to take the direct road to
the shoals. They took the telegraph operator at
Burke's station and his instrument, and burnt the
Orange and Alexandria Railway bridge at Accotink,
an inconsiderable structure. Besides the 15 empty
waggons of Colonel Kellogg's command that fell
into their hands, they took eight or ten sutlers'
waggons, which they came across, the drivers in
nearly all cases having succeeded in escaping by cut-
ting the traces, mounting their teams, and flying
before them. They seized all the citizens along
their path who they thought might give prompt
formation of the proceedings. They passed through
Vienna at about 12 last night, their rear guard pas-
sing there about 3 a.m. They had 5 guns and
about 25 waggons and ambulances, nearly all of
which they had doubtless picked up. They went
from there to Hunt's Mills, and then struck over to
the Ox Road, at Frying Pan. Including the citi-
zens they caught, they were carrying off about 40
prisoners in all."

A Washington despatch of the 29th says :
" There was great excitement in Alexandria late
yesterday evening, growing out of the hurried ar-
rival there of several of our cavalrymen and team-
sters, the latter being mounted on horses cut frog'
their own waggons. They represented that Stuart
rebel cavalry, with some light artillery, appeared
at Pohick Church, several miles from Mount Vernon,
on Saturday night, and on Sunday proceeded to
Accotink, which is only 12 miles from Alexandria,
and there attacked two or three companies of our
troops, and that they captured a waggon train at
OcrJoquan on Saturday. There is difficulty at
arriving at the precise truth, owing to the mini
conflicting rumours in circulation in regard to the
matter. But that a rebel reconnoissance appeared
in that neighbourhood is beyond question, and that
the rebels craated much alarm is equally certain.
Military men who have seen brief official telegrams
from Dumfries say that it was the same rebel force
which, several miles from that place, made a recon-
noissance, driving in our cavalry pickets, and
killing four or five of them. The rebels, fearing
capture by our troops, which at one time was pro-
bable, left for Occcquan and Accotink, where they
made their alarming demonstration. Due allow
ance, it is claimed, must be made for the statements
of frightened teamsters and others, as all such se'
counts are unavoidably exaggerated. The bold
raid of Stuart along the Potomac, in a line from
the Rappahannock to Leesburg, was not as success-
ful as previous ones, though equally rapid and
desperate. The frightened teamsters who came 111
reported that the entire rebel army was moving to-
wards Washington, which led to much excitement
and innumerable rumours yesterday and to-dal'.
Beyond the capture of a few prisoners, several
army waggons, and the burning of one small rati-
road bridge, this raid does not amount to mum."
A despatch of the 30th says:—
" Intelligence from Alexandria represents that
Stuart's cavalry force, with artillery, were yester-
day encamped 12 miles from that city, not far frog'
Burke's station, on the line of the Orange and
Alexandria Railroad. Two rebel cavalrymen,
wearing uniforms similar to our own, came into and
rode about Alexandria on Sunday. They did net
remain long. A telegram from head-quarters or,
the army of the Potomac says matters continue
quiet on the Rappahannock."
The New lork Tribune has the following special
despatches :

" Stafford, Virginia, Dec. 30.
"Information was received yesterday that Stuart's
cavalry, after leaving Wolf Run Shoals on Sandal
passed to Burke's station on the Orange and Ales'
andria railroad, and from there between Fairfax
Court-house and Annandale to Vienna. Yesterday
they were at Chantilly, and to-day report says ie
the vicinity of Warrenton. Last night the wires
were down between this place and Washington."
" Washington, Dec. 30.
" In the recently cavalry raid to Dumfries, °cc&
quan, &c., the 2d Pendsylvania Cavalry lost 50 men
killed, wounded, and missing, and three officers.
One of these was the surgeon, who stayed behind to
take care of the wounded. An officer of Major Stagg'e
command, who, in the fight five miles across the Oc-
coquan, was thrown from his horse and lay concealed
in the bushes, countel the enemy, and reported
them to be about 4,000, Two rebel officers were
killed at that point, one of them a major. His horse
and equipments are here. Several privates were
shot, too, while crossin.:, for in the several skir-
mishes where the enemy's cavalry stumbled on our
forces, or were heaved by them, they lost about n
hundred_ Now for news that gives a peculiar inte-
rest to his raid. A prisoner taken, belonging to
the 3d Virginia Cavalry, and now in the Capitol
Prison,says that Lee, Stuart, and Hampton left
Ginney's station on the 24th with 7,000 cavalry
and six pieces of artillery. This force was divided;
Stuart with 1,000 and two guns went to Dumfries,
Hampton and Lee with 6,000 and four guns went
—where ? A despatch received this afternoon
trom an officer near Monocacy, in Maryland, states
that a large body of cavalry was crossing. the Pate"
mac at H rrison's Island—that is, about 17 miles
this side of Harper's Ferry.

Mr. RUSSELL was told in America that a bird
about the size of a thrush with a yellow breast and
a harsh cry was " the skylark," and on his complaining of
the sharp noise it made, a young lady exclaimed, " Oh my I
And you not to know that your Shelley loved it above ad
other things I" In like manner a colonel drew his attention
to the use of the telegraph in the camp as a splendid Ame-
rican invention. Mr. Russell replied that Lord Clyde had
always used a telegraph wire in the same way in India-
To which the colonel rejoined that he believed that Mr.
Russell would say next that "your General Clyde and our
Benjamin Franklin discovered lightning simultaneously."
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