Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-05-30

The Secret Of Gen. Banks Rcpulse.
We find in the Springfield Republican,
the following extract from letter to the
New Nork Herald, dated Front ROYAL,
May II, which explains what has been
going on in Gen. Banks department for
some weeks past, and leaves his defeat
no longer mystery. AS long ago as the
date of this letter, large portion of his
command had been sent off to reinforce
Gen. Mcdowell, and it was known that
the rebels we're gathering in large force
to take advantage of his position. The
correspondent says:--
Yesterday the rear guard of Gen.
Shields division left here and resumed
its march to Fredericksburg The place
has relapscd into its former quietude, and
the change in this respect wrought by the
departure of the troops is quite remarks-
bic. Two days ago jackson, the rebel
general in the valley, united their forces
with those of the rebel Gen. Ewcll, and
encampcd around Harisonburg. 1t is
now reported that they were advancing
towards Strasburg, slowly and steadily,
and according to one statement, they are
already as far as Edinburg. If this So
they will probably try to overpower Gen.
Bankr' command at Strasburg. A good
deal of useful work has been done by Gen.
Geary's command, and since he took
charge of the railroad from here to Man
assas Junction, not only has the road
been repaired and the bridges over it re-
built, but it has been guarded for upwards
Of fifty miles against attacks from gucril-
las and other rowing parties Of the enemy.
The bridge built over the Shenandoah
alone at this point is work of great Ia
Dor. Its length is $50 feet. The first
train will pass over it to-day to Strasburg,
and thus the road will be open through
out its entire length. Guerilla bands
and detached parties of the encmy's cav.
airy infest this section. A company Of
these men attacked our men protecting
the railroad at point eight miles below
Front Royal, two nights ago, killing one
man, wounding another and taking ten
prisoners. Thus are our troops protect
ing the railroad constantly subject to
night attacks from desperate and unscru-
pulous foes, while they'are spread out in
small parties. while the rebels can bring
larger force to bear on them at any
single point.
The opening of the railroad from Alex
andria to Strasburgh will be advanta-
geous in many ways. In the first place
it will strengthen Banks command by
opening direct and rapid communication
between his headquarters and the capital.
1t will strengthen our hold on the valley
of Virginia, and it will facilitate and in
crease the rapadity of mail communica.
ton between this division Of the army
and the country in general. The strength
of the enemy's forces in the valley at
present is about twenty -fve or thirty
thousand men. Two deserters made their
way here from there yesterday. They be-
longed to Ewell's column. Their report
is that Jackson has been ordered to retreat
southwark with the rest of the rebel
forces, but that he has expressed the de-
termination to die in defence of Virginia
and Virginia alone. They also report
that his army would not accompany him
to the cotton states even if he was will
ing to 60 there and as it is he has to
keep extra guards on duty every night to
prevent thousands Of his command from
rushing to their homes, which are now
within the Union lines"
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The following letter was written to John