Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1862-06-13


gallant army will be victorious. Our forces
exceed in numbers the most extravagant esti-
mates which have seen or the public believe
and they are in splendid plight and anxious
for the fray. have no idea that Richmond
can or will be taken. 1t cannot he reached
by land or water
Major Lee in Command of
the Confederate Forces.
From Tie Petersburg Express, Jto,e 5.
On Tuesday Major-G General Robert w. Lee,
was assigned to the command of the army in
front Of Richmond in consequence of slight
wound to General Johnson, aad upon ossum-
ing his Important position, issued an address
TO the army, which was read at the head of
the regiments. Its sentiments created the
liveliest enthusiasm The address informed
them, in very few words, that the army
had made its last retreat, and that henceforth
every mans watchword must be Victory or
Death" The response was cheers from all
I the regiments.
The Enemy's Loss in the Battles of
! 2Ist ult. and LIST instant-NeWs by
| Contraband.
From The Ricbmoad Frdmiaer, June 5.
We are in possession Of information which,
though it isderived from negro we believe
/ to be perfectly reliable, establishing the fact
that the loss Of the enemy in the battles of
Saturday and Sunday last exceeds ours four
/ to one. We will explain who our informant
is, and our reasons for crediSiug him, and
then give his account Mr.. W. p T.. Quarles,
who, previous TO the falling back of our army,
lived in the house on the left hand side Of the
I hAf~-sp nsburg road, and in the centre of the
hattis-fed Of Saturday, owns negro man
nalned William, who until the day of the bat
Tie, was employed on the batteries at Drury s
Bluff, from which place he was discharged on
Saturday, with permission to return home.
Mr.. Quarles says William is an honest, trust
worthy and very intelligent negro, can read
and write, and is somewhat acquainted with
1 figures. This is Williams account Being
discharged from Drury's Bluff on Saturday
/ night, on Sunday night-not knowing that
his master tMr. Quarles) had been driven
/ from home--he unsuspectingly went down
there, and was Immediately taken prisoner
/ by the enemy, who put a spade into his hand
/ and put him, together with one hundred and
/ sixty other negroes to work to bury tue dead
The negroes worked all day, and gave assist
ance to the Yankee soldiers in the burial Of
! two thousand men. William heard the Yam
I KEGS say, in conversation among themselves,
| that their loss in killed in the two days fight
| wasbetween three and four thousand This
heheard repeatedly from different parties
Besides the negroes az work the Yankees
had sixty who We're kept tied William asked
! why they were tied. The Yankees replied
1 that Il was for stealing, but our informant
thought it was to prevent them from running
| of
/ William sow n Confederate flag flying over
a small house, aud asking the meaning Of its
/ being suffered to remain there, was informed
/ that the house was the prison in whitehall the
rebel prisoners were confined He asked
/ permission to look into the house, but this
was refused.
Sunday night, finding that he was not
watched, the negro, who had from the mo-
ment OF his capture determined TO make his
escape as soon IS possible, stole off through
the woods in asoutherly direction and, with
out being hailed by a sentinel or picket, ar
/ rived by acircutous route at General Malone
| headquarters, whence the General gave him a
/ pass to this city. lie reached here on Tues
/ day night. We have given this negro's sto.
/ ry without addition or alterations and, il
! further testimony than his master were moi
superfnous, we could cite the names ola dozen
| gentlemen who have assured Us Of his perfect
reliability
che war in the valley.
The following lottor furnishing the partcu-
lars Of the operations Of the Confederate army
| near Winchester is copied from the Lynch
burg Republican,:
We got to Front Royal, where we met the
First Maryland regiment, and after a fight aud
charge we captured every man Of them save
| fifteen. Our cavalry then dashed ahead and
took two hundred more prisoners, at little
town between Front Royal and S,rasburg,
on the railroad. In all we took nine hundred
( prisoners at Front Royal including one Colo
1 mel, one Lieutenant Colonel one Major, two
/ pieces OF cannon, horses, arms, &c, ia album
dance, and $500, 900 worth of Quarertmaster
and Commissary stores also, two locomotives
and three passenger and fifty tonnage cars.
( These facts are reliable, and you may rest
assured thereof as ! win write you nothing
I but what know 70 be true We slept on the
bare ground that night, and the next morning,
I very early, were off AT a tangent for some
4 where on the Winchester road. On our way
/ 10 Middlotown the road was often crowded
Z with prisoners, wagons, and horses, which
[ our cavalry had captured and were convey
/ ing to the rear. When last heard from We
/ had fifteen hundred prisoners ut Front Royal.
4 Banks who was AZ Strasburg when bic heard
Of our doings, cut stick and broke for Win
chester in hot haste; but we cut his force ia
| twain at Middletown, sending Taylor's br-
! gade, (kwelp5 diyision) after the Strasburg
wing who captured many Of them and de-
moralized the rest and we hurried on swiftly
after Banks down the valley.
Every few hundred yards we passed one Of
bis wagons, left upset, or broken, or teamlcs5
full Of baggage, stores, &C., till just this side
Of hewtown, after checking us awhile with
artillery, he burned up thirty Of the trains,
and then the rout and Hight became beautiful
and exciting beyond degree Prisoners were
brought back by scores ana hundreds, and
then you ought to have heard the boys yell
and make the old woods ring with uproarious
joy Three miles beyond Winchester yester-
day morning, the enemy made a stand, and
the fight began about six O'Clock, A. NJ; in
two hours we drove him pell nell, heller ske-
ter Oft the field, and Though tho town towards
Mrtinshurg. Our loss q very trGing !
think hity will cover our dead, and one hun
dfed and fifty our wounded.
The enemy had, soon after the fight opened
sci fire to the depot in Winchester, ana de-
stfoyed al Of his stores, and some say he or
dared the town to be fired. Az all events.
some houses were set on fire. but the citizens
extnguished it0efore great damage was done.
Banks is now AZ or beyond Martnsburg with
our cavalry aud some Of our men still IN pur-
SUIT Our present expedition Is complete