The New York herald., 1863-12-24
GENERAL AVERILL'S EXPEDITION.
Splendid and Important Opera
tions Of the Forces in Gen.
Kelley's Department.
The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad
Cut In Several Places.
ATTACK UPON SALEM DEPOT.
LongStreet's Railroad Communications
ATTACK Upon SALEM DEPOT.
Longstreet's Railroad Communications
with Richmond Cut Oh.
GEN. lvEVILIS OFFICIAL DESPATCH
GENERAL LoNGSTREET A REBEL FAILURE.
II H II EL ACCOU N II ~ :,
&s., de-, ~

Omcfnl Despatch from General Averili.
EDRAY, PoonABosrAs Co., wHr VIRGINIA, Dec. n,
Via BgvIRKY. Dec. ~, 1893. J
To Major General HAILEcK General in. Chief
have tho honor to report that cut tho Virginia and
Railroad at sacm on tho iolh inst and havo
arrived safely at this point with my command consls
ing OF tho Second, Third and Eighth Virginia mounted
infantry Fourteenth Pennsy lvania Dobsons battalion o
cavalry and Esil's battery at Salem.
Three depos destroyed, containing two thousand
barrels Hour, thousand bushels Of wheat, ono
hundred thousand bushels OF sholed corn, ltty
thousand bushels OF oats, two thousand barrels
OF meat several cords OF leather thousand sacks OF
sa thirty boxes clothing twenty bales of cotton
largo OF harness. shoes and saddles equipments
TOOLS o and various othor stores and hundred
wagons. Tho telegraph wire was cut, coiod and burned
half mile. The water station turntabe and three
burned and the raos torn up and rails heated
and destroyed a much aspossibla
In SIX hours Ave bridges aud several culverts
destroyed over an ox,ent nfteen miles largo guam.
ty OF bridge timber and repairing materials also
destroyed.
Ny march retarded occasionally by tho tempest In
the mountains and the cy roads was obliged TO swim
my command and drag my ARTILLERY With ropes across
crozp creek seven timss In twsnty four hours
On my return found SIX separate commands, under
Gcnr Early jones' rzhusn Lse Imbodcn, Jschscs, E0hos
McCoustin, arranged n limo extending from stsun
ton TO Newport, upon oil tho available roads, 70 prevent
my return oapsarsd dsspatch from Gessssl Jonas 70
General Early giving his poston and that Of jackson
., nton Forge.
marched from the front Jones 10 that Of jackson
At night, Hs ourposs pressed In ., sallop by the
Eighth Virginia mounted infantry, and the two bridges
Jacksons river saved. although assos had
bsen piled ready ignite. Ny column about four miles
long, hastensd across regardless OF tho enemy until an
bat my ambusnees, few wagons and regiment had
passed when strong effort msdc retAks tho rst
BRIDGE which thoy did not succeed. Tho smbaAncs
and sick were lost, and by the darkness and
ste side until morning. whcn wN Asccrtsinsd that the
enemy scemsd Determined TO maintain his position up
the elins which overlooked tho bridges caused tho
bridges which long aod HIGH 70 bo destroyed, and
tho enemy nmodatey changed his position 70 the flank
and roar OF de,schmeot which cut on. and
tho remnants 10 destroy wagons and
to me across tho river the mountains. They
swan tho river with the l0ss OF only men who
drowned, and Joinet mo
In the meantime tho OF tho enemy
rsing spoo a, cailashsns. every available road
bat one which deemed impractcAbie, but by which
creased the top Of the AlcgbAuies with my
mAnd with tho exception q four oalssons, which
destroyed order the Of the pieces.
Ny loss is SIX men drowned. one oroor and four
wounded aud four onieers and nlusty missing.
We captured about two sundfcd pflsonsrs, but have
retained bat four oinccrs and eighty men account Of
their inability wax We took also about hundred
and ATTY horses.
Ny horses have subsisted entirely upon q very POOR
country and the Cheers and have suffered cold
hunger and fatigue with remarkable fortilude Ny
maud has marched. climbed Sid and tbres bun.
droi aud nny.avc miles sines ito stb Instant
W. W. AyERiLi., Brissdier General