Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-08-29


This afternoon we have reason to bcheve
that already the great bulk of the rebel force
that reached the Rappahannock on Wednes-
dav and Thursday last. is already far on its
way back to Gorconviile.
Yesterday we mentioned the fact that a
large body OF rebel artillery Sufficient Tor an
aggregate force from 10000 to %, 600 strong)
was certainly on the march from the Upper
Rappahannock, on Friday last, back in the
direction of Little Washington. From that
point one fine turnpike leads to Luray. in the
valley, and another to GOrdonSville, via
Sperrysville and Madison Courthouse. The
fact that no information has yet reached here
showing that any rebel force had entered the
valleJ, satisfies us that the march Of this re-
ceding force was to Sperryville, and thence
| in the direction Of Gordonsville.
Since Saturday last nearly all firing across
! the Rappahannock has ceased. Hardly n
dozen shots a day are being fired, and now
most of our officers in front believe that on
/ Sunday last Lee, LOngstreet, jackson, &C.,
quietly took the back track" going some
where-no one knows whither-''ten to one"
TO GordonsYille we think. The signs yester-
day were that but Il very small rebel force
was in our front-hardly enough to keep up
the appearance Of an opposing force there.
Our loss in the skirmishing OF Thursday,
Friday and Saturday last on the Rappahan-
mock was astonishingly small, perhaps not
more than $50 in killed and wounded. instead
OF $50, as we thought yesterday.
Requests have come hither for the prepara-
ton of building to hold perhaps a thousand
prisoners, taken by Pope's army so far.
They are understood to be nine hundred TAX
en- by Sigel on Saturday, at Waterloo, Ga ford
short distance above Warrcnton Springs,
where, after allowing small brigade of the
enemy to cross the river, he opened his bat
teries, and closed in his infantry so upon it as
that not a man escaped, the whole being either
killed, wounded or taken prisoners. The
| other prisoners are understood to be one hun
dred and forty of Fitzhugh Lees marauding
band that attacked the train at Catlett's on
Friday night. We hear that Gen. Pope dis
patched Il pursuing force after Lee before
daybreak on Saturday, and that portion OF
that torce-the 1st Pennsylvania and I'd New
Iork caYalry-came up with Lee in time to
| retake most of our men he had as prisoners,
two pieces OF artillery of ours he had appro-
priated little below Catlett's, two deserters
from our side, and one hundred and forty re
bel prisoners.
We have the following information as to the
rebel army on the Rappahannock =
Our informant, a man of good Judgment
and who saw the enemy's forces cross from
the Rapdan to the Rappahannock, estimates
that the whole confederate forces opposed to
Pope is under 100000. He was surprised
however, by the extent of their artillery and
transportation, and the general good condition
of the troops.
Our informant overheard the confederate
officers expressing much vexation that Pope
escaped them They said that but for some
misunderstanding about orders they would
have nabbed him, and that they ought on Sun
day to hare been 1rhere they lcere on Tuesday
Pope's activity in evading them caused theil
plan to turn out failure finally.
In the opinion of our informant, Jackson
has quietly slipped away to some new field Of
operations, and the demonstrations made by
the confederates along the Rappahannock
within the last few days, have been mere
teints to ''amuse' us while he steals off to
strike an unexpected blow.
There has been no fighting since Saturday
night, when there was some cannonadng be-
tween Sigel and the enemy at Waterloo, on
the Rappahannock, near the White Sulphur
Springs. Since then the enemy has been
conspicuously quiet, and are quite evidently
| at some new scheme of mischief.