Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-08-23

NIL ShShCoN NV s>AS n
MOND ABANDoNED-THE WHOLE RE-
BEL FORCE ON The MARCIA 6KEAT
BATTLE EXPECTED.
Especial Correspondence N. Y. Tribune
Hsa6qxartsrs Army Of Visgisid, Cedar Moss-
tain, August 16.-Again on the march, ana that
march retreat. The camp which only yester-
memorial be forever, dissolved this afternoon into
thin air, and headquarters are here without q
camp; but here only for an hour, or three hours,
Ii matters not. A hurried order came 70 De ready
10 sta II at once and before two hours had passed
tents and lugRase-all of headquarters but Ito
rsSsoaRsL-were moving to the rear
We understand IL Is whispered that the whole
Army Of Virginia 10 In retreat, and presently Il
begins to be added that the whole Army Of Rich
mond Is on the advances that the Rebels threaten
to turn our left hank-in q word, are marching
straig ht for Fredericksburg. for Warrington, for
the North. Perhaps; but before the North, before
Washington, before Fredericksburg 10 reached,
the hardest, fercest most determined, and des.
perate battles Of the war are to be fought This
army IL not running awsy, nor II General Pope
outgeneraled yet by Stonewan Jackson.
Threatened on the left hsnk-threatened by an
army that counts its hundreds OF Thousands Of
maddened and desperate troops-the Army Of
Virginia retreats, indeed but II retreats to fight
By daylight Il must cross the Rappahannock, but
when once on the northern bank Of that river, IL
no longer retreats-it begins to maneuyre. The
battles Of this war are only about TO begin. Our
march 10 for the Kappa hammock, and IL beyond
the Rappahaanock safely, we meet the men whs
march TO Join our arm, this army turns In Its
footsteps and awaits the shock.
CuLfBPER Court House, Aug. 10, "A. NJ
Gen. Pope retained his headquarters at Cedar
Mountain till midnight; then mounted with his
staff, and rode to CulPeper, reaching IL at2. Not
an inch Of road that was not filled with wagons
most Of them battling. Before tho start the
lat had passed headquarters, but only to crowd
together In confusion in the darkness, and blind
lv grope their way over new made roads In the
field, Bivouac fres Were burning everywhere |;
the night was clear, the starlight brilliant, and
not long after u the moon came up; but there IL
a blending Of light and shade on countless
strange scenes which makes everything indis-
tnct and mysterious; makes Ii easy to lose oneis
way, and almost impossible to find Il. 30 the
endless trains made little progress In the rear,
and only gave promise to worse condition In
front The General took charge in person, and
his energetic Efforts soon started the lettering
wagons, and, a. he overlook successive hains,
put every one quickly In motion.
There are no troops on the road at ffst. They
have hardly begun to move could hardly move
IL they tried II 10 lust possible for the Generally
cavalcade, winding It's way in ana out Of the la
byrinth Of trains, and riding almost wholly out
OF the road, to make It's way slowly forward. A
regiment cannot march GO regiment till the
roads are clear nor need the troops move far on
the road till the trains are we'll on their way
The trains are TO be brought of IL II costs fight
before we reach the river.
The retreat Of our army, and the advance Of the
rebels In overwhelming force, are no longer sc
crets. Besides the reports Of scouts and recon.
n0issances, we have the evidence of an ofneer
who was In Richmond only last Friday, and his
evidence 10 that In Richmond there are only three
thousand troops that the whole rebel force, from
one hundred and fifty TO one hundred and seventy.
i've thousand strong, IL marching on Washing
ton, Is within twenty miles or less Of Gen. Pope,
AID hopes to flank and destroy his army. Long
before this can be read at the North IL will be
known In every VILLAGE that " aahi IN ton Ia
threatened by the advance Of a rebel army, snd
that Its fate Is question Of days. IL Mcclellan
has sent forward his troops for once rapidly; II
the North has sent them IL they meet US on the
Rappahannock; II we can gather three-fourths OF
II not!
Arriving at Culpeper, General Pope found Its
street.. crowded worse than the roads, and almost
the whole transportation Of the army in danger
OF being choked or delayed until II could only be
saved by fire. The fTst trouble was In front
Riding out he started the leading trains, started
every one as he returned, ordered all besitating
or injured wagons into the fields. cleared the
whole road, and returned to town Taking his
station on the Court House corner, w here the
trains were to divide, he spent the rest Of the
night with his staff, bringing order out of confu.
SION, urging forward every train, addressing
drivers, wagonmasters, quartermasters, and every
one else with certain discretion or force Of
speech which nobody could mistake or disobey
BY slI O'Clock nearly all the Immense trains Of the
army were through the town.
have only moment for these hurried lines,
which hope to send by an early train this morn.
Ing. Ii was expected that the army would cross
the Rappahannock by 10 O'Clock, but the passage
be attempted. The Corps OF banks 10 here, and
Mcdowell 10 coming up. Both will wait the ar
rival OF slgel who covers the retreat, and will not
be hurried. As write, these masses Of troops are
pouring In swim but orderly marches along the
narrow roads and over the fields toward the town,
he rear already listening for the sound Of follow
tinue. sigel 10 not expected till noon, and what
ever happens not q regiment leaves til the rear
comes up. 1t Is a wonderful retreat, for in spite
OF delays there 10 no panic among toe trains, and
though the troops are moving to the rear they
march as II TO battle. The sunlight streams oat
brig huy, the air 10 COOL the day Is ali that can be
wished, IL II Is only long enough. No battle to-
day II any means can avoid IL; perhaps none to-
morrow, but on the Rsppahannock, before the
week closes, comes the deadliesi struggle Of the
war.
The correspondent Of the New York World
writes:
Taking the advantage Of McOlell.ns moye.
ment, Of the roundabout route by which he il
going to support Pope, Of their own inner and
ct Inns of transit, the rebels are rapidly
throwing their whole strength against the Army
Of Virginia. They are apparently making giant
effort to CONG uer our desns force, and thereby
capture Washington, before the bulk Of McClel-
lan's army can avail for the rescue. Generals Lee
anu ydcESon nave been shreWd enough to see
their advantage, and are, to all appearances,
profting by IL.
General Pope has found the enemy's numbers
suddenly augmented TO 100000 men, or upward
Moreover they arr moving from Gordonsville, In
force, towards Fredericksburg, perhaps intend
Ing TO push through the weak places OF our left
This base has either forced Pope to give battle
on the spot, or to at once draw in his rines. The
former alternative can only be the last extremity
OF evil consequently he is falling rapidIy>6aek
hds, 4 am informed, srdeKdtsd the CHlpepsr 70
gtoS, bag ana baggage; has drawn In hIs lines at
least fifteen miles, edging little toward Aqua
Greek, In order to be within easier concentrating
reach Of such portions II General McClellan's
army as have there landed
But the enemy is not only pushing enc column
toward Fredericksburg. Another body how
large don't pretend to know, presses steadily
against US on the old .GordonsviIle route We
have got our hands full for the next week. They
can safely spare every gray coat from Richmond.
" no knows that Is 900 other men are not at this
moment marching down the Shenandoah vallsyi
III that were the case, we should be In trouble. A
has always obtained at tn North
relative to the methods Of entering the valley.
No one hiss ever imagined that rebel force
could get In there, save by the con ventional
Stonewal route, via Virginia Central Railroad,
etc. Bear In mind for q moment that
another railroad, parallel with the one lust
named, runs from Richmond west, to Lynch.
burr etc on q line south Of the James river
We know that, some time since, the enemy
threw portion OF his Richmond army south Of
the rivef-to attack Suffolk, Ii was said sup
pose that force to have moved along the Southside