The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-06-12
Of the Richmond Dirpatch.
FROM YORKTOWN.
Another Account OF the <kirmjsh,

foRHrowx, Sunday June O.
have now Teen here exactly one
fortnight, yet in all that time 1
have not communicated with the Dis
prtch My excnse is very good one
out as it would fill up space. and not ia terest
Eonr readers, j shall not make ii at present.
You have had pretty accurate detail of the
operation. of The Howitzers from other
sources, and IL is not allowed to tell all we
know OF military plans; though, by the-by,
that Is little enough. In the absence of know
ledge, we have a thousand rumors every day,
and they generally turn ont to be as worthy OF
credit as rnmors generally are, and not one bit
more so. Things at present seem to have Il
downward tendency; that is, every eye IL ca
gerry turned to the country below US. Brisk
operations upon Il small scale are going on
there Day before yesterday, Captsin Werth.
OF the Pittsy wanna Troop, while reconnoter-
ing in tina country around Newport News,
with nine men, fell into party of thirty
five live Yankees, who, pre-. ume.
were out on a similar expedition, and
Immediately attacked them. They did not
sus tain the high repu tation estovsed upon
Col. Duryea's heroes by the fighting man
of the New York HeTaid, whom | take to be-
Bennett himself. On the con trary, they were
routed at the first onset. Capt. WeTth killed
TWO OF them with his pistol, Doth officers
and the horse of Il third, who slid from thu
animal az the barber did when be was charged
by the redoubtable knight of La Mancha. l
| understln md that 4 similar rencontre occurred
Yesterday, in which two of tho enemy were
slain. The achievement of Capt. Nerth was
very remarkable one, and sounds almost
like the old tales Of chvalry. Incidents like
II must give the enemy a foretaste of what
they have TO expect from whole popula-
tion armed for resistance, and resolved TO
giVe up their country only with their lives.
Il can hardly be violating any rule 10 say that
Gen. Magruder has pushed strong recon
usisance twelve miles below this, and that
Stanard's battery and part of Browns ar"
with him. The rest of us are left here, form
ing part of the garrison, / suppose; or it may
be that we may be ordered 10 Join. / can only
say that We are all very anxious to be with
our comrades. We would all prefer
mouse squeak" il l may be allowed
10 use the expression of the Black Douglas
do not think the enemy Will ever be able to
reach Richmond by this route. He certainly
cannot. unless he force the passage up this
river, and that will require a stronger force
than any he has at his command. Some OF
DIR. Archer's baby. walkers, about which SO
| much was said in the Legisla ture, will have
a word 10 say on that point. They were in
tended for Uncle Sam, and the old gentleman
| can get the con Is whenever he may please
| TO call for them.
We are all looking forward for decisive in
telligance from Manassas Gap with great
anxiety. Everything seeros to indicate the
approach of a great battle in that quarter
| For my own part, have no doubt about the
| result. L believe that our men have gone
| forth with the determination not to be beaten,
| aud am confident they will not be
| \ on do great injustice to my old favorite,
| the great Napoleon, i'll your anecdote about
| the young man caught writing after TAPS
That is one of the bes known stories related of
| Frederick the Great, the cold hearted, cold
| biooded, cynical infidel and scofer, who be-
| lieved neither in God, nor in the response
| biii,y of man for the deeds done in the body.
| 1t has always been told OF him rs descriptive
| of single dash of his infsxible charac ter, and
| the iron nature of his discipline. Yet even OF
him, his last bographer Il do not mean Car
| lyle, who has not come TO the seven years war
! YETI says ii was utterly without foundation,
so tar as he could discover, after N ost min
| ute investigation, pushed in the places where
| the truth would be most likely TO be discov-
| cradle. Napoleon was a genuine Corscan
| impetuous, fiery, and probably too vindictive
| But he was never guilty of williEl cruelty
| although a strict disciplnarian Least of all
was he likely to be guilty of a cruelty which
| could be SO entirely useless. His hold upon
his crown consisted in the enthusiastic at
| lection of his troops, and one such deed would
| have alienated an entire army. on ascrlbs
to him also the saying that Providence WA
on the side OF a powerful artillery. This, 100
IS entirely out of character. 1t is Il parody
upon the we'll known sheer of old Chas Lee
| at w Washington, Tor appOn ting day or last
ing and prayer for the success of the Ameri
| tan arms. g. have always observed" sale
| he, THAT Providence was on the side OF stront
| battalionS -
| l intend this only for an opening wedge
| To morrow you shall have more. +.
| =. 81 open my letter to announce q Skin
| msh hlcb took place yesterday Saturday
| between a detachment of HoWitZers belong
| ing to Stanard's company, supported by a de
tachment from company E, of the North Car
| oliua regiment, and party of 20 Yankees. -
About IL O'Clock yesterday, Major Rlndolp
| was Informed at his camp, two miles beloy
the Halfway House, that Il party OF Yankee
| were piuudering the house of u gen tlema
: named Whiting, about three miles below. IL
Immediately started in pursuit, with on
: hoWity-r and detachment OF North Haroli
| ma Infantry. They soon came upon the ras
calls, who abandoned their plumber and fec
A shell was fired at them, which did not eS
| plode. Major r started N pursuit, but ha
not proceeded far before he met a scouts VIII
informed him that party OF 10 were abou
three miles below, plundering at large. upo
receiving this information, he sent back &c
l another howitzer, and further reinforce
ment Of infantry. When it arrived, he div
, ded his force into two parties, he (Ma
, lor K commanding one and the Lieuten
ant Of Infantry the other, each party TAXI
along a gun. They then took TWO diferer
| routes. Major missed the rascais, but tn
| other party came up with them They stoo
TO their arms and both parties fired. Bl
| YANKEES pluck could go no further, and III
| hole body took to their heels, with the ~
| ception of one-an Irishman-who was take
! prisoner while in the act OF ramming down
4 cartridge, the North Carolina lieutenant
. | command actually riding up 10 him, al
placing his pistol at his head, before he su
rendered. The curses OF this man upon h
: | Yankee comrades, for their cowardice, We
q loud and deep. The skirmish happened ju
| at the bridge over Back River. 1t had bee
broken down, and the fugitives had to Gro
| upon planks In the act of crossing th'
o were subjected to a full volley, which mu
| have done considerable damage, US preac Ii
d who came into Major X. IS camp, from Ham
{ ton, reports that they brought In wag'
e | load of wounded and dead. could not lea
o the name of the North Carolina officer wi
- commanded the detachment. Lieut. John
J., | West commanded the Howitzers present
o the occasion. He acted with great coolne
and intrepidity, and received ball throu!
his hat.
Eighteen more of us have been ordered
Join the Major. / still left behind. b
we all hope our turn will soon come. Nobo
on our side was hurt
. Correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch.
g More Of Saturdays Skirmish-Werth's
- ploit &c.
| BETHEL CHURCH,