The New York herald., 1863-06-05
THE SITUATION.

THE SITUATION.
Unofficial reports received in Washington yes
terday, which were considered entirely reliable,
state that up to the 3lst ut. no material change
in the affairs at vcksburg had occurred. and that
no Gghing had taken place for several days.
despatch from Washington yesterday also states
that rebel officer informed the bearer of q flag
of truce, on Wednesday last (on the Rappahan.
mock we presume), that Gen. Grant had tried to
take every point Of the rebel defences and had
been rcpulsed with great loss at each; and fur.
of the Big Black river aud was fortify.
ing himself there. Reports from Cincinnati
to the 30h ult., direct from Vicksburg,
say that for several days previous everything was
quiet on the lines; that earthworks were then
being thrown up to protect our troops, and mines
were being constructed to blow up some Of the
rebel forts which cannot be approached by any
other means. The idea of carrying vicksburg by
storm, according to this statement, appears to be
abandoned, and slower operations must be looked
: for. A despatch from jackson, Miss, to Rich
mond, dated he 1st Of June, says that General
Grant had demanded the surrender of General
Pemberton, which was peremptorily refused No
news from that quarter appears, however, in the
Richmond papers of yesterday.
Scouting parties sent out from Murfreesboro
have failed to find any of the enemy the left or
rear of Gen. Rosecrans' position. II is reported
apparently on good authority, that there are at
Tuahoma not more than two regiments, and that
the enemy have thrown all their forces forward to
Shelbyvle, Beech Grove and other points.
General Baird. of the Eighty fifth Indiana in
command at Franklin, was attached by the rebel
cavalry yesterday, and at last accounts was still
fighting successfully. There is an evident dspo-
sition ON the part of the enemy to keep up sue
cession of accommodating expeditions along our
whole line near Murfreesboro to annoy our army.
They are making demonstrations on the Marches
ter and Shelbyvlle roads, keeping our pickets
constantly employed.
mounted force of rebels advanced on the I'd
instant and engaged our videttes on the Manches.
ter pike road. The firing between them was very
rapid and lasted about an hour, when the rebels
withdrew.
The news from the Rappahannock to-day is in
lsresting. Colonel Fitzpatrick has been making
iaother cavalry raid from Yorktown to Urbana,
dllesex county, Va, touching again at Glou.
ester Point and Court House. He destroyed in
his way much rebel property and carried of about
one thousand negroes three hundred horses and
mules and clearing out the granares and hencoop'
to an unlimited extent on the route between York
town and the Rappshannock. Mosby's rebel ca
vary made another raid on our pickets near Fair
fax Court House yesterday morning, but did no
erect much.
The military order Of General Burnside, sup
pressing the issue Of the Chicago Times. has beer
withdrawn by that officer in consequence Of tn,
revoking of the same by the President. The sol
diers who occupied the Office of the Times hav
been withdrawn by General Burnside, and the cir
cula,ion Of the paper within the army lines on,
elsewhere Is henceforth permitted. The voice o
Che people, as expressed openly and fearlessl.
upon this infringement of the freedom Of tn,
press, thus appears to have had Its weight.
We have intelligence from the Red river 70 III,
effect that an expedition recently made to shreeve
port succeeded in destroying two iron-clads o
great power found on the stocks there. No con
frmation. however, Of the rumor has been re
ccyed.
The rebel blockade runner Cuba. while attempt
Ig TO run from Havana for a Southern port, with
,rgo worth .iOO 900, was pressed so closely by n
Union ship lie Soto, on the 18th ult., that she VIA
jat on Ere by her crew and burned to the water
,dgc. her officers and crew were taken on bo =
the Dc 500; Lst her whole cargo was lost.