Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-05-22
LRFTEas FRom prommonn.
EENONA
Special Correspondence of the Memphis Appeal
RICHMOND. Nav o 1881

Special Correspondence of the Memphis Appeal
RICHMOND, May g, 1862
Three days Of the ~loveliest weather have
smiled upon Us. III which the Indens have mt
forth their most delicate green and the delicious
temperature Of spring has wooed Us to the omen
aI-thres days inio which have been crowded "a
much Of excitement aud anxiety as, perbaps.
men have ever experienced in the sane time
since the d~estinies Of nations were first submit
ted o the wager Of battle Brussels behre
Waterloo, Milan before Solferino doubtless "a
hibited the same phases of Tes~tlessness, the same
alterations Of hope and solicitude that have
been witnessed since Sunday in the streets Of
Richmond Icsanot undertake to describe the
appearance of our tno~Ioughfares, Groups ofez-
cited men at every corner dense crowds before
the bulletin boards 0f the newspaper offices
long lines Of army wagons rsttling over the
clanorOus pavements here and there, an officer
in a smart, r%eshuniform, in strange juxtaposition
and contrast with knot Of paIlid, ragged soldiers
whom the bright Sun had tempted to stroll cut of
the hated hospitals c~ouTieTs, covered with the
dust OF Tie road, CT broken down horses in feeble
gsllop towards the War Department such have
been the more striking features of out-ofdoors
Richmond, since inc war began. The scene has
been enliveDsd, OF rather confused by ten thou
sand idle runors which have caused the multi
tude of seekers after news TO rush about from
one point to another to verify what was false
from the beginning, and add another final con-
tradiciOn to an originally impossible story.
The latest and fullest accounts of the battle Of
Fort MsgTuder, fought near Williamsburg on
Mon1ar warrant rs II. haliavipn tboA - v-o- go,
of the most brillisnt actions of the war. The
figures differ somewhat from those given in the
account sent you by telegraph. Our loss was,
probably, twice IS great as therein stated, being
not far short of one thousand in killed and
wounded, and the number of prisoners taken by
US, instead of 500, did not quite reach 400. But
thess errors apart, the battle was fsr more cred
liable to orr arms Than We had at iiTst supposed.
The enemy did not appear in any considerable
numbers in the open field ct all, but were con-
cealed in e dense rood, from which they opened
with four batteries of artillery upon our work,
and upon the infantry dePloyed as skirmishers
across G shallow Tayine on the left. For q Il tie
space in front of the wood, the forest growth
had been cut down, forming q sort of sbattis,
iOu the cover of which the Yankee sharp
shooters kept up for sometime & damaging fire
upon our lines, After Intellectual attempts to
dislodge them, and after 1t became perfectly
that the enemy hld no idea of emery
ing from their thiekets to give Us a fair fight, q
aod saber charge was ordered, and our
troops-infsntTy and hoTse-dashed across the
ravine and drove the Yankees from their position
with great slaughter, pursuing them foT dis
lance of two miles. Their loss is not absolutely
known, and cen never be asceTtained By Us
(inssmuch as the retreat of the main body Of the
army Of the Peninsula madoi+a-o5S5aTJ
that we should give up the field, but it is sup
posed to have bean avon greater than ct MareS-
Dead bodies lay piled sfUug tho road in
say calm participants in the fight who
reached this city. 1t is greatly to be de-
that the stern exigeney of the occasion
compelled us to leave our dead unburied aud
our wounded IN the enemy's hands though we
are permitted 10 hope that the Don-eombatant
citizens of Williamsburg (Which antique town,
metropolis of the Ancient Dominion and Col
Ony Of Virginia" as long ago as the reign OF
James II, Is now occupied by the YsnkeeS) will
be allowed to perform the pious ofics OF burial
for the gallant slain, as we know that Williams
gentle and loyal women will tendeTly
nurse the manned survivors Of the conflict,
The division Of Gen. Longstreet, after its ar
rival in the Peninsula, was enlarged by the sd-
iitioD Of two or mora brigsdes, but | have not
been able to ascertain with certainty all the reg
Iments that were engaged. 1t is admitted that
The brigade Of Gen. a. P. Hill. comprising the
9Th, iIth and liza Virginia regiments, had
he hardest share of the fighting and suffered
he most Severely. The 9TH South Carolina and
he 18th North Carolina weTa also much exposed
md cut up. Gen. Stlart's brigade of cavalry
hough ever oa the alert and q whulwind In pUr-
of the flying FedeTsls, came through with
ew casualties among these the country will
earn with deep sorrow that Maj Payne, the
,aptain Of the original corps of the Black
was severely, It is thought MORALLY,
the loss OF Gen. Anderson, of South
who was among the killed, viii be uni
deP!ored
Though we have had nsgs every half hour
Monday Of another battle in the direction
f Williamsburg, it is believed that uoDe has
,een fought up to this time. All day yesterday,
circumstantisl sccoGnt Of a severe fight at
3arhamsville, ia New Kent county, with the
apture of six or eight thousand Yankee prison
rs, was indastriously circulated. 1t was pure
The true state of affairs, SO far as / learn
/, is this The advance of the enemy from be-
Williamsburg was checked efectually for q
line by the reverse Of Monday Meanwhile 6
considerable Yankee force was landed yesterday
nd the day before at West Point, under cover
t the gunboats in YORK river. This force was
to turn JOhnst0n's position, butt seems
kelly enough that be may be able to dSmOhsh
!, before the main column Of the enemy can sd-
snce to attack him. i
We have news to-day OF C very successful op-
ration of Gen. T. J. jackson upon the Yankee
,ree under Miliroy. Hearing Of the approach
f Jackson, the prudent Federal general retreat
d into the county Of Highland, but the Stone
all " Zero, having shown on repeated occasions
ow ho csn stand still. determined to show to
is fugitive opponent with what a~leTtness he
,uld move forward, and by a forced march Of
h;rA- r,1la- l.. ono Gs-~ aua- Q rTrm~od moum- |
.inOus country, overlook the unsuspectiDg foe
~Sitli1gton's farm, near Mcdowell IN Highland,
q the hither side Of the Calf Pasture mountain,
I'D at once attacked him. Gen. Jackson was
Imported By Gen. Edward johnson, whO re-
lived a wound in the foot in the engagement.
be Yankees were put to fight with heavy loss.
UT own ~iaiur:es we're severe. The killed and
amounted to three hundred. This bat
took place yesterday afternoons five o'clock.
No little apprehension was created to-day by
e news that three of the enemy's gunboats
ID assembled James river to City Point, forty
miles (by water) from Richmond and
Ielve from Petersburg. These boats pTofted
the temporary a5seD &c of the MeTTimae from
e mouth of the river, that vessel having gone
to Portsmouth for water, to run by, but after
ting as far az City Point, they turned round
d went back again. As they vii find the
sTTimae waiting for them below, we may ex-
to hear of something stirring tomorrow.
The Governor returned last night from a visit
The distractions in the river, in which the
esident had preceded him by a few hours. The
1Tk of sinking stone and timber is going on
iskly If it be not well done, so much the
,rse for the Confederate authorities, who ought
have accomplished it thoroughly long ago.
The prisoners taken in Mondays battle near
illiamsDurg reached the city yesterday after
on, The following officers are among them
cut Col. Lewis Benedict, SeveDty-Third regi-
snt New York volunteers Capt. K. Il. Lee,
zth New Jersey regiment Capt. Martin Willis,
mpany X, Seyenty-FOuTth regiment New York
.lunteers Capt Benjamin Price, company D,
New York volunteers Capt. ALEX
der H Drake, company d, Thirty Third New
rk volunteers Lieut., r. L. ChambeTlayne,
artermaster, Eighth Illinois cavalry Lieut.,
II. Kinley, company d, Sixth New jersey. I
cut tool Benedict and two other officers were
~,unded-the former in the ankle, and quite I
iously !
1t is now stated that among the onemy's
led on Monday YVES the infamous Dan. Sickles I
the " brigand brigade"
.,,+, cNTrof fo rsaptiou ahava that s0m5 two 4