The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-07-17
WAR RUMORS.

,,,.,,, minors eve reached the city, an
.,ns . very serious disaster to the COM
nd Of t}en 0ARSHrr. and tending 70 con
a., .he teteSraphic dispatch from Cincin-
LII ,eporting the capture BY Gen. McCLkL'
az Of thou sand Of our forces, several guns,
nd tSo hundred killed, including Gen. 0AA-
.r-, among the dead. This would argue
,,oody fight and desperate resistance on the
mart of our brave oldiers.
n these ,idings be true, the primary cause
# This calamity to our forces would seem 10
hsye been a zig gag march over Rich noun
min. In the night, by a few thousand OF mo
c,yt.x's command, by which Col. PEaHAS
uss taken in the rear and cut of frora CON-
,nun,cstion with Gen. GARxsTr, producing
she misfortune that befel that gallant ohicer
end leading TO the others which overlook the
res, Of the comm and. Two to three thousand
If our troops are conceded to have Withdrawn
in safety according 70 our accounts; while IL
IL report ted from Washington that they are
sssin occupying Laurel Hill.
Unjust not be supposed that this misfor
tune. If correctly reported, would put the
enemy at Stanton. long road, OF more
than a hundred miles, and many ranges Oh
high mountains, utterly impossible TO an
stanton, affording innumerable raliying
points, and ample time for the muster IN 'orce
Of our troops and militia. The country is the
widest and most unex plored In Virginia.
1, Is not possible that McCLgLLAs would
ATTEMPT the march TO Staunton. 1t is, on the
,ntrary. 10 be presumed that having cleared
hi. rear Of danger, he will proceed to Grafton.
and thence make good his way by railroad to
t.. G.&., rxytx 81,
Gen. PATTERSON, he would precipitate himself
upou the command Of Gen. JOHNSTON.
We have given the bad news from Laur.,
Hill Just as it has reached this city. For our
solves, however, we take the liberty of donbt.
ing the correc tness of It. letter to General
LsE from Gener al GARNET, written Saturday
morning represents General GARSKrT to have
been making good his retreat with all his
stores and baggage in good order, without
men lion of the probability of an engagement
A gen tleman also is in the city who left Gen
.ral GAKsErr late on Saturday safe and in good
condition. Yet it is on Saturday that the des.
rerate misfortune is said to have been inflicted
uroI bin. The Cincinnati dispatch in itself
amounts TO nothing, for 1t has been preceded
Tor n week by daily dispatches of similar
character, every one of which has been fals.
lied.
We trust and believe that the au tn en- tic de.
tails OF .his affair at Laurel Hill will relieve
The news of al its worst features, and reduce
onr misfortune TO the mere falling back, after
hard feh ting, of smaller force before great
ly larger one,
At all events, be this news ever SO true, 1t is
far more .har counterbalanced by the glorious
iidings from General McCuLLocHs command
ia Missouri.
P.S.-Since the foregoing was written, we
have had ths positive assurance of the au-
ihenticity of the following facts That Gen.
GARRETT was mortally wounded in the dis
as,er alluded TO, and that the Cenfedera to
forces lately under his command retired in
coed order. General GARRETT was wounded
during the retreat of his forces. The enemy
outnumbered him seven t, one, but after
their partial success did not advance in force
beyond the point from which they drove Gen.
GARNET.