Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-03-14
FMu P0rttcsSlurs the EaSua a0e.
sssesst af Fort Craig.
The Battle iM .4Ekuass as.
The IOWA THIRD TERRIBLY
FORENOON DISPATCHES.
From Washington.

| WAsHlNGroS, March IL.
! Nothing new at Manassas. The re
bells have retired towards Gordonsville
They rest with their advance at tn,
Cape Dame river, their camps ext end.
ing back to Gordonsville, II miles.
Tclegraphs from Fort Monroe, repor,
all quiet.
Parties who accompanied rebel fac
OF truce, admit that the Monitor severe
y wounded the Merrimac.
Information from Winchester to. night
indicates that our forces are in posses.
sion there. Nothing valuable TO our
army was found at Manassas.
Special to the Tribune.l
The Naval Committee of the Senate
agreed to-day to recommend an aporo-
pria,ion of s25O,O0O for the construction
Of furnaces tor the manufacture OF 20.
inch Dahlgren guns.
The Washington Star of this evening
says: "We have positive information
that the rebels have re,reated as far as
GordonsviiIe. Our scouts have probab.
y penetrated "a tar As Culpepper Cour,
House, "a miles in the rear OF Manas.
saS.
[SpeGal TO Times
The statement published that coan.
Gil OF war in Washington decided 6 to
4 that the army of the Potomac could
not be moved against the enemy at pre-.
sent, is entirely untrue. The Gener..s
were unanimous that an advance wou Id
be possible and proper. The difference
was as to the plan Of the proposed at.
tack. A correspondent Of the Times,
who accompanied the advance upon
Centerville and Manassas has last come
ir. 1t was only last Friday that the re-
treat Of the Rebels from Centervilie
commenced. Gen. Johnston lett Friday
morning Gen. Smith LETT Saturday L.
NJ, and Col. Stewart last Monday-the
day our army left camp on the Poto.
mac.
The retreat was conducted very or
derly at first. Nothing was left at Cen
treville that could be useful to us.
The forts were we'll planked and very
formidable. They commanded the roads,
and the fire of not less than a hundred
guns could be conyerged upon any ap-
proach to the deienses, but the guns
were never brought from Manassas to
mount the CentrevilIe forts. The rail-
road track extended from Manassas to
Centreville, and telegraph line.
HNl,o pnhol rvonav0lc bo1 %ko:. la.1
quarters at Centrevillc altogether, and q
more convenient and complete military
establishment could not be found in
Washington than they had through
Manassas.
The enemy continued their retreat as
quickly as it began. They carried off
all their heavy guns from Manassas, 40
or SO in number, part of their army
marching by turnpike to Warrenton.
aud part to Gordonsville, where, it is
said, they would make stand.
1t was on Monday evening that the
first sign of panic was noticed at Ma
nassas. A part Of Stuart's rear column
was preparing train to move south
ward by railroad, when they learned
that some excited rebels had set FIRE to
the bridges ahead of them. They i'm.
nediately began to burn and DESTROY
and run away in general confusion.
Five hundred barrels Of -four, piled in
ranks, had their heads stove in barrels
of molasses suffered the same way. IA
or Is kegs of powder were left, which
they did not know how to DESTROY in
safety to themselves.
II seems to be confirmed that the
enemy had, for two weeks, between 5O.-
900 and 10000 troops at CentreyiIIe
and Manassas, and that they only be.
gan their retreat last Friday. What
they mesn is mystery, a. the men in
their Notifications ~ould have been
equal to three times the force assailing
| them.
They must have feared to trust thoee
whose enlistment was expiring, or their
powder, which many accounts agree,
il OF very inferior qosIity.
The strspgest news brought BY the
Zimes' correspondent, is that Gen. Jack.
son and one half Of bis army, whom
Gen. Banks yesterday supposed he was
closely watching in Winchester, wen,
down the Railroad to Manassas one
week ago, aud Quietly marched of
| southwafd in the Valley Of the Shenan.
dosh. 1 ei-e
Captain Sayer has since died Of hi,
wounds.
Trustworthy information to-day statsl
that the Prov was shot away.