North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1863-07-08

Official DISPATCHES from Gen. Meade.
WASHINGTON, July SIS p. M-The two
ollowiI Dispatches have been received:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TIE PoToMAc. ,
Noon-July 4th, 1893
To Ndj. Gen Ualeck, General in Chief:
No change OF affairs since my dispatch of
II o'clock, noon.
GEORGE G.. MEADE,
Major General.
Important Expedition to Williamspcrt--
The Rebel Pontoon Brige Destroyed
Captured of the Guard.
WAsHrNoToN, July 5.--The following dis
patch has been received:
"FREDERIcK, Nd, July As P. NJ.
"To Maj. Gen. Haliecs General IN chief.
can expedition sent out by me has just
returned, having entirely destroyed the enc
my pontoon bridge over Potomac at Williams
port, capturing the guard, consisting Of lieu
tenant and thirteen men.
Z. II. FRENCH Maj. General.
From the correspondent of the New York World
Tuesday July 7thl
Movements of the two Armies in Maryland.
It is not likely that the movements OF the
two great armies in Maryland will befully
made known to the public for several days to
come. There is game of exciting strategy
to be played, and the movements upon the
military chess board will necessarily be Sc
cret for time. If Lee can reach the Virgin
ia shore without further punishment, he will
be the winner Of the game now being played:
but ifthe measures taken to circumvent him
succeed, then must General Meade be con
sidered the better-certainly the lucker gen
eral.
We have so far seen nothing to corrobora'e
the newspaper stories of the utter rout of
Lees army. The simple fact seems to be
that, like Burnside at Fredericksburg, he
hurled his army upon masses Of arti lery and
infantry, and was repulsed, not only once but
several times. Oar army made no attack
upon tbe rebels but barely attempted to hold
its ground, which it succeeded in doing, and
in addition by the close Of Friday evening
held The best parts Of the battlefield. OE
course their failure to defeat thc army Of he
Potomac was a cruel disappointment to the
rebels, sit put a stop to their schemes OF
invasion. and they were compelled to retreat
to sare their communications, men&ccl as the
lr'-p. were by the forces of General French
md General Couch. But there is no reI'a-
! Ia DO tl,,t 81
deriy. though it was probably hurried to gain
time. And here it nay be well perhaps to
state why Lee fought thes, three days battles
Clearly, then, it was to prevent the iQnc
ton Of Mcale's and Couch's forces / Will
be remembered that when General ReynolIs
was attacked on wednesday last he was
marching from Gettysburg to Carlisle, to
which point General Couch had pushed his
advance guard under General Smith. Long
street and ITll to prevent the junction AMI
keep tn armies apart fell upon the First aud
eleventh corps and drove them back lax
ing advantage Of this success for hlm and re-
verse for US, Lee determined 20 attack and
defeat, if possible, Meade's VIII ole army. He
saw he had no time to spare with Couch
within two days march of his rear and
General French hanging upon his other
flank. Hence the desperate assault of Thurs
day afternoon and the furious fighting of Fri
day morning. Hence, also, the retreat of
Friday night when his assault failed. This
was to have his communications.
LEES army retreated, we have reason to
believe, IN tolerably good order. We do not
hear of his losing guns, though he did pris
oners, stragglcrs, and some Of the trans he
cou!n not take away with him. When last
heard from he was at WIlliamspJrt, and it
was feared at Washington that he would
succeed in getting across the Potomac not
withs'anding the height Of the stream. Gen.
eral MEADE was in pursuit by of Fredrick
and Gen. Couch was coming down the
Cumberland valley. Should LEE be overta-
ken 1t would go hard with him, as he must he
short of ammunition, but we would not be at all
surprised if he got with what was left Of
his army across to the Virginia shore. To
speculate upon the loss of LEES armI is
decidedly premature.