Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-11-05
Correspondence OF the Memphis Appeal.)
INTERESTING LETTER FROM
RICHMOND.
RICHMoND, Oct. 81. 1861

Officers! Yes, oficers-all over town
Walk where you will, like the cannon at
BalukIaYa, there are ofiicers-some to the
right of you, some to the left of you, some
Just in front of you. Officers of all grades
and descriptions, from the general in his
buff facings, to the little artillery lieutenant
with the scarlet trimmings. Go to church,
and the chance is you'll see AN officer in
the pulpit Go to II concert, and you may
hear an officer perform solo on ii claro-
net. Go to the hotels, and the main saloon
OF the Exchange, or the SpotSwOOd, looks
as gay rs tulip bed or IL poultry show.
ZOuave captains, crowned with their bld-
zing red caps and waddling about in their
loose trowsers; cavalry coIonels, gold laced
in three lines from wrists to elbows; infant
nv majors, iu smart uniforms fresh from the
tailors, and probably as yet unpaid for; all
moving in and out of the miscellaneous
crowd in bewildering confusion. The ig-
noraut visitor wonders how the army gets
along in their absence, and what such
multitude of lighting men in commission
are doing in Richmond. ! make no effort
tie explain it. AS correspondent l only
seek to give you rapid sketches of what is
seen and talked about here, and officers just
now are more seen good deal, than any
thing else.
A gentleman of this city. occupying a
high position in the government, has just
reached Richmond from General Lees
headquarters. The enemy under Rose
Grams was in full retreat towards the Ohio,
| hit pursuit was impossible. The roads
were in the most awful condition. Dead
| horses and mnles that had persisted in
their tracks, broken wagons and abandoned
stores, lined the road to Lewisburg.
I f.a m
or wagon through uninjured. The road
beyond Big Sewell was if anything worse
than on this side OF it. To be sure the
difficulties were quite as great-perhaps
even greater-for the Yankees, in their
| flight, rs TOR our troops in pursuing them.
But General Lee was entirely out of
provisions, and had not the wherewith to
cook the next meal for himself OF to serve
the next rations to his soldiers. The Gen
eral was not in the best health, and it may
| we'll be imagined, not in the best spirits.
| The splendid horse that was presented to
| him Just before he left this city had been
famed in two legs, and was unfit for SER
vice 1t will be absolutely necessary for
| General Lee to abandon his position in a
very short time as uninhnbitAble for his
army. and go into winter quarters. Where
| this will be-whcther in the kanawha Vail
! ley or on tue line OF tue GeutTtl u0lITOau
is uncertain, but much depends on the
choice as to the footing the Yankees will
have in Western Virginia next spring.
A letter was received in town this morn
ing from IN officer in Major Randolph 5
Richmond Howitzer's, stating that con-
siderable skirmish had been fought in the
peninsula, some miles below Yorktown on
Friday, the 18th inst. in which - small
Confederate force had driven back the
Yankees with Il loss 10 them of sixty killed
and wounded and fifteen prisoners. Our
loss was set down at ten killed and thir-
teen wounded As no other intelligence has
been received in town, either at the War
Department or the newspaper Offices, tits
generally discredited. There are rumors
of attacks at various points. Gen. Huger
is expecting combined movement upon
Norfolk, and Gen. NIagruder apprehends
the landing of large force in Mobjack
bay. The better opinion here is that ther,
will be but feints to divert attention from
really formidable assault to be made imme
diately on the Evansport battery.
| This assault is intended by Gen. Nc