The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1863-12-31

CneSo movements IN tho ugQC OF ralQ, &uu
while they feared raid on their depot oi
supplies at Staunton they at the same time
kept sharp lookout to prevent us from
cutting the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad
at or in the neighborhood Of Christianburg
via Union. To this end the enemy REIN
forced his commands at Staunton and
Union. This was again what we wanted
him to do, knowing that if we succeeded in
drawing off the scattering rebel troops to
the right and left of Ayerills line of march
Gen. AEerilI could slip in between the di
vided rebel columns and secure the obj ,ct
for which all these movements were being
WORKING OF THE PLAN. ~ -
Gen Scammon reached Lewisburg OF
Saturday, the 18th instant, where and when
he attacked the enemy under command oi
Gen. Echols, and drove them out of town
across the Greenbrier river. After this Gen
Scammon occupied the town, and continually
threatened the enc my with forces under the
immediate command of Gen. Dufie. Gen
Scammon left Lewisburg on the 18TH.
Col. Moore, according to instruction went
no further than Droop Mountain, having
reached this point from Beverly on the llth
He threatened Lewisburg from the North
on the same day, and on the 18th opened
communication with Scammon's forces.
Onlthe 18th, Gen. Averill was moving in
the neighborhood of Covington.
Col. Wells moved on the 10th from Mar
tinsburg up the Shenandoah valley, by way
of Winchester, Strasburg, Woodstock and
New Market, reached Harrisonburg on the
Goth, and threatened Stanton with his ca
valry on the Goth, 2lst and 22d. Receiv-
ing information that the enemy was ap-
preaching him in heavy force, he fell back,
by orders, down the valley, and succeeded
in again joining Gen. Lullivan wife the main
forces.
s5>At this time, while Wells was occupying
The attention of the enemy on the right, Gen
Ayeril, having broken the railroad and othoI
communications, doing great damage, cut
his way out, via Oovington and across the
Alleghanies to Beverly, and Uolonels Tho
burn and Moore and Gen. Scammon retreat
4 ed to safe and supporting positions.
~ THE LossEs-THE ADVANTAGES.
In the whole of these movements our loss
|
ty, and with our missing will not exceed
one hundred and twenty. Of the missing
it is thought that many of them will re.
turn to camp in few days. On the other
hand, we captured in all about four hun
dred and thirty prisoners, with largo nnm-
ber of horses. Thus it will be seen that
much good was accomplished, difficult
task executed, and q great deal of very seri-
Gus injury done to the enemy, without any
loss worthy of particular mention on our
side.
Where there is not much loss of life, the
public seems to forget or overlook the ben
efits of military movements of this charac-
ter but the intelligent reader will at once
see that it is not always the bloodiest bat
tie fields that secure to the victor the
greatest advantages, or that small forces
cannet secure great ends, even without a
fight. In this war it has often been proven
that the most obstinate battles were not
those where the greatest number of troops
were engaged, but where one party fought
against another that was its superior in
numerical strength, and that the greatest
victories with one or two exceptons)
were gained by comparatively small COM
mands.
THE ENEMY'S NJ ovENENTS.
These were of a very curious character
We Judge this from information reaching III
through prisoners, and coming from Other
sources. The enemy, finding us advancing
from SO many different points, did not know
what to think of it, and this, too, in the
midst of winter, when it was supposed We
were fin comfortable winter quarters, with
the intention of letting the rebels do the
same. At frat the whole movement was
looked upon in the light Of a reconnaissance
to find out where Longstreet was. Their
the report became current that we were out
on small raid to pick up some detached
cavalry commands; and again, that We were
making for Staunton, to destroy or capture
the supplies there With this latter view
predominating, reinforcments were sent to
Staunton from the main body of Lees troops
via the Virginia Central Railroad, to pro
tect that place Hardly had this been done
than the enemy discovered the Union was
threatened, and hence scattering rebel com
mands were quickly massed and sent off to
this latter point. The next the rebels knew
was that their telegraph communication
had been cut with Lee. In this extremity
knowing that some Yankee force must be
on the Railroad they determined to cut il
off. They moved all their commands for
ward from the railroad, so as to secure a
line extending from Staunton to Lewisburg
How General Averill, who happened to be
the party thus cut of, made his escape has
been explained in the above portion of this
correspondence, as also in rmer despatch
es. Those Of the readers of the Herald
who have read the paper from day to day
will remember the details of the movements
of the several columns, as given in previou:
dispatches.
GEN. KELLEY's INFORMATION CONFIRMED.
In the Herald of the 23d despatch is
published from Mr., James c. Fitzpatrick
dated at Beans Station, Tenn, on the 14th
in which the following occurs:
IN;@,,opo have r. f..