Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-07-01
W o r c E S T E r.:
TUESDAY. JULY 4, 1862.


THE News FROM RIcHMoND is not very de-
finite. 1t does not satisfy the intense desire
everywhere prevalent to know what has
taken place there. We know, however, that
there has been great deal of fighting near
Richmond within few days past. 1t began
on Wednesday last week, when Heintzleman's
division, and especially that portion OF it
under Gen. Hooker, advanced out of the
swamp and drove back the rebels. The
next day we were told from Wash
ington that ''all was quiet in every direction;"
but it was not so, for the fighting on Thurs
day was more general and desperate, and it
was continued on Friday, and was still 60
ing on Saturday forenoon. Towards eve
ming on Saturday a large force of reb-
els made their appearance at White House,
in rear Of the recent position of our
army. How they got there, or what fighting
they did on the way, was not told; nor was
there any thing accompanying the report Of
their arrival to indicate what our army was
doing at that time, or what it did after Satur-
fact that communication by telegraph had
been interrupted.
1t appears from our dispatches, this morn
ing, that our men evacuated White House on
Pamunky river, Saturday afternoon. The
rebels were approaching that point and ar
rived there soon after four o'clock. They did
not capture anything Of value, but they held
the place, at last accounts although compelled
by the gunboats to keep at respectable dis
lance from the river. 1t appears to have been
part of General McClelans plan to ADAM
don White House, change the position of
his army, and arrange to receive his supplies
in future by the way of James river; and
rumor adds that Gen. Burnside has arrived in
the rear of fort Darling, intending to capture
it and open the way for our gunboats to APP
preach Richmond. 1t appears that the eyac-
uation of White House was planned some
days before it took place. A letter to the n.
Y. Tribune, dated at fort Monroe, June 27th,
says:
Il have no direct authority for saying that
White House will soon cease to he the point
OF the particular interest which it has now
us the base of the army of the Potomac, yet
am left to infer as much from a variety of
reasons. The breaking up of the hospitals
there, by sending away the large number of
patients in that vicinity, may not be proof in
itself Of such an intention, though such fact,
taken in connection with others. might 90
to strengthen such a supposition. To-day
the State of Maine arrived, with between
three hundred and four hundred invalids,
but few of them wounded, to be followed by
1900 or 1900 more. This may be simply
measure of reform resulting from Il new
regime. While it may be that, it may be
something else. Prudent men, especially
since the recent rains, have felt that White
House was too much exposed to be the depot
of so much property as the rebels would be
able to destroy by successful attack. A
general removal from White House to West
Point is not improbable, if it has not already
taken place"
IT is believed that Gen. Mcclellan has
changed front and placed his army in new
position on the left and nearer Richmond, so
asst clear out the rebels at fort Darling, and
get between the rebels and Richmond by
drawing them out on his right on the suppose
ton that he was retreating. The New York
Evening Post of yesterday, takes this view of
the case and says =
"a change of front in the face of the enc
my is said by all military authorities to be a
dangerous maneuver; but the results, if Gen.
Mcclellan has been successful, must be evil
dent to any one who is familiar with the po-
sition of the armies. The enemy could be
cut off from his supplies which come from
the south through Richmond; he would
be compelled to fight without food or
ammunition, except a few days supply he
might save; he would be confined in the
swamps which our men have too long occu-
pied and meantime our army, with its
supplies coming up the James river and its
reinforcements joining it under Burnside from
Petersburgh, could march on Richmond,
which, unless something has gone wrong,
should be in our possession at tins moment.
''lfitis true, as our correspondent states on
the authority of some intercepted rebel letters,
that Gen. Beauregard was in Richmond last
week, with the best part of his army, and that
thirty thousand of his troops had been sent to
jackson, with which and his own forces to
attack our right, and attempt to cut off our
army from White House and from its source
and depots of supplies, then it would seem
that the rebels were inclined to walk into the
trap set for them; or, rather, that their own
plans for overcoming our army, were used by
Gen. Mcclellan to facilitate their destruc-
ton"
We hope that news of great success will
come soon to dissipate the apprehensions of
disaster, and relieve the present painful sus-