Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-05-08
Evacuation OF Yorktown.

oN hhONNOIy Way I W Is
town was evacuated by the rebels las
night and our troops now occupy tn
cncmy's works
"A large amount of camp oquippag
and guns which they could not dcstro,
for fear of being seen were left behind.
lIEADQuARTERs ARMY OF THE PoroMAc,l
May 4.9A.M I
To Hon. EDwlN NJ. STANTON, Secretar,
Of War:
We have the cnemy's ramparts, thc
guns, ammunition, camp cquippage. etc.
and hold the entire line of his work!
which the Engineers report as being very
strong. | have thrown all my cavalry
and horses and artillery in pursuit, sup
ported by infantry. / move Gen. Frank
Inns division and as much more as | car
by water up to West Point to day. Nc
time shall be lost. Our gunboats have
gone up York River l omitted to state
that Gloucester is also in our possession
| shall pursue the enemy to the WALL
Signed Gro. b. MCCLELLAN.
PnnADELPmA, May 5.-Thc En9uire,
has a special dispatch from Fortress
Mouroc, giving the following particulars
in regard to the evacuation of Yorktown
One Mile Beyond YoRKrowY,)
Sunday, 10 o'clock a. NJ.
All day yesterday the rebels kept up a
hot fire on Gen. Porter's division. No
one was hurt. Our Parrot gun at Farm.
halt Court House occasionally answsred
them. All last evening and up to mid.
night lively firing was kept up.
About that time their fire Stacked con.
sidcrably and at 2 o'clock stopped. We
fired one or two more batteries at them
but got no answer.
About 3 o clock this morning build.
ing at Yorktown was fired and Pro. Lowe
and Gen. Heintzleman went up in a bal
loon and found it was their store house al
Yorktown wharf
At daybreak they reported the Fort
empty. At 7 o'clock we occupied York
town without gun being fired. OF tho
guns Of the enemy nearly all remaining
were spiked and dsmanted. BY the
river battery were large piles of amuni
ton, powder, balls and shells. Eighty
guns were in Yorktown, which is sur.
rounded by scmicircle. The earthwork,
were all constructed to cover one anoth
cr in every position, but they must have
eventually yielded could we have got
around them.
The gun we dismountcd the other day
killed and woundeG fourteen rebels. The
fort has been occupied by 1st Battalion
New Orleans Artillery, the Sth and 3Oth
Alabama Regiments, the 10th and l4tb
louisiana, and the 18th and 18th Gcor-
gia Regiments.
These troops were ordered to report at
Howard's Grove, four miles from Rich :
mond and left the fort at midnight.
n rear guard was left who waited for
our appearance and retired in the greatest
haste.
Two dcscrters who left their regiment
at Williamsburg at daylight say the
whole rebel army was in a panic.
Prof. loves balloon reconnaissance
discovered their rear guard at 0 A. NJ. to
be miles out.
Con. Mcclellan Immediately ordered
out the artillery and cavalry and is push
ing after them at full speed
All our gunboats came up at 0 o'clock
and landed somo marines at Gloucester,
who raised the United States flag amid
cheering that could be heard across the
river.
The boats all then left and are now run
ming up York River, sholling the banks
on both sides.
a number of mines had been prepared
for our troops by placing percussion shells
under ground in the roadway and en-
frances to the fort.
No whites were to be found and only
a few negro woman and babies. The
town was squalid and filthy.
a few days of warm weather would
have bred pestilence.
An abundance Of flour and a large
quantity of meat, salt and fresh, was left.
All the tents were left, but no horses
Or wagons.
Reports concur that the rebels consist
of mob Of about 100, 900 men, i'll fed,
dirty and dishcartcned.
The road from Yorktown to Uampton
on which we were oncamped was guar
led by Fort Magrudcr, mounting a large
number OF gun, part of which were taken
away and part spiked.
Some of their works were we'll built
md well laid out, while others were
contrivanccs. The work on
hem was finished on Friday night and
he slaves sent to the rear under guard.
The rebels have nothing behind on
which to make a stand
Last night their camp fires all along
we're the same as usual. The dense
woods along the Peninsula enabled them
o leave without being seen by the bal
oon.
The largo guns of the rebels were most
y columbiads, taken from tho Norfolk
Navy Yard. Some of them have been
eccntly moulded. The Notifications, al
hough of the toughest character were
cry formidable, being surrounded by
ecp gorgeS almost impossible to pass.
From Yorktown.