The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883, 1863-07-24

| rate lists of our casualties, we have determin-
ed to mention none, thinking it better to omit
| them altogether rather than run the risk Of
| stating as killed or wounded an officer or sell
! der who is unhurt. In this connection we
| will state that Col. Aylett, reported to have
been wounded at Gettysburg, was heard from
as late as the 9th inst, at which date he had
| received no wound.
LATER.
| Since the above was in type we have,
through wounded officers who reached the CT
ty last night, some particulars of the last
days fight at Gettysburg After the battle
of Thursday, which was kept up with undi-
minished ardor on our side until very late
hour, the enemy took position on three inI-
mense hills, or mountain spurs, and Friday
mornings light showed but too plainly that
they had not been idle during the night. A
long heavy line of earthworks, bristling with
| cannon, fringed the base Of each hill. In
front and on the TANKS of these the Yankee
| army was drawn up in line of battle. We
| made the attack and drove the enemy into
their entertainments. Taking the intrench-
ments was a more serious matter. We were
repulsed several times, and finally succeeded
In taking the outer line of works only to find
that it was commanded by another equally
formidable higher up the mountain side.,. In
1.-THE retreat from these intrenchments our
greatest loss is believed to have been sustain
ed. The enemy brought their howitzers to
bear on our columns, cutting them to pieces
horribly.
Our artillery charge when we took the enc
my's works is said to have been magnificent.
One hundred and forty of our pieces charged
up to within three hundred yards of one Of
the enemy's works, and silenced it in short
space of time, but not without very great
loss. Our loss in horses in this part of the
fight was heavier than ever before known in
similarlength of time One of our batteries
alone lost thirty-eight horses in as many mi
nutes.
Having abandoned the idea Of storming the
+enemy's position, General Lee fell back to-
wards Gettysburg, and rested that night
No pursuit was made by the enemy then or
during the next day. On Saturday, our am
bulance and wagon trains began to move back
towards Hagerstown. Seeing this movement,
and suspecting design on the part of Gene
raj Lee to turn his flank and march suddenly
on Washington, Meade left his position and
turned towards Frederick. That night Gen.
eral Lee Withdrew slowly towards Hagerstown,
were the army now is, in as good condition
and spirits as before the fight.
The strength of Mecde's army at the battle
of Gettysburg is an open question. In his adj
dress to the troops after. the battle he says,
with an inferior force, &C., &C." On the
other hand all of our officers state positively
that his forces were vastly superior to ours,
many of them estimating them at two hum.
sdred thousand men.
OF the loss on either side we here in Rich
mond know absolutely nothing. We have
heard ours estimated at eleven and the enc
my's at forty thousand men; how far either or
both may be of the mark we have no means
of knowing. We lost between fifteen hun
dred and two thousand prisoners, and captur-
ed netless then six, and perhaps as many as
sixteen thousand.
Sen. Rragg's Retreat from TUT.
lahOma.
The New York Times, of July 4th, has the
following editorial on the retreat of General
Bragg:
The intelligent reader of the elaborate ex-
positions we have been enabled to give in the
Times correspondence from General Rose
cranx's headquarters Of the Military situa-
ton in Middle Tennessee, remember that nc
very valuable results were predicted from the
advance Gen. Rosecranz has just made
Gen.. Rosecranz himself doubted the policy
of an advance, and for causes that his march,
SO far, appears to have verified.
Our army has reached Tullahona, the point
to which Bragg army fell back after the bat
tie of Stones river; and Gen. Bragg is found
again to have retreated. This is precisely
what Gen. Rosecranz feared, and because Of
which fear he did not see the military proprie-
ty Of advancing. Bragg has abandoned Shell
byville, abandoned Tullahoma and the line Of
the Duck river, and has fallen back, itis sup
posed, upon Chattanooga and the line Of the
Tennessee river. Our correspondent with
Gen. Rosecranz, anticipating the occupation
by the Union army of the enemy's Duck RI
yer line, in letter written June 9Th, asked:
Where is Shelbyville? What is Tullaho-
ma? What is the line of the Duck river
Nothing absolutely nothing! They are nei-
ther points of manoeuvre nor geographical
objective points. The rebels are not brought
a step nearer destruction than before They
retire to new and stronger line along the
Tennessee river, in the vicinity. Of Chatta-
nooga, and we have the barren victory of thir-
ty additional miles added to the already too
deep line. If anything, we are worse off than
before"
In subsequent letter, written June Oath,
our correspondent stated that the sssound
heads of Gen. Rosecran's army had little
hope of getting decisive engagement out Of
Gen. Bragg at Tullahoma, OF on the line Of
the Duck river, though an advance upon that
position was about to be made It was,
thought that Bragg weuld fall back to induce
Rosecranz to extend his line by pursuit, and