The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-09-13
From the Petersburg Express.
THE LATE BATTLE NEAR REAM'S

It is no less delightful than instructive to read
the accounts given by Grant, Meade and Hancock,
and also by the veracious army correspondents, of
the great drub5ing which was administered to
Hancocks famous corps on the 25th August by
Gea A. p. HILL The late Yankee newspapers
are crowded with the details of this great battle.
Nor are the comments upon it by the various edi-
tors whit less amusing and profitable than the re-
ctas of parties from the feld-amusng, we say,
because it is pleasant to how ridicuously they
attempt to convert defeat into success and pro-
ftabe, because these monstrous fctions serve still
further to enlighten to the true character of
our enemy. So can laugh over the ludicrous
twistings and squirmings of the Yankee press un-
der the new disaster to their arms, and at the same
time draw useful moral from the picture which
they present.
"Major General Dix" is telegraphed by Secreta-
ry Stanton the authority of no less parsonage
than Gen. Hancock himself, that he (HancOck)
was attacked near Reams station, Thursday,
the 25th, several times during the day, and that he
rerused the enemy in every assault.
''The fighting" says the despatch from Hancock,
s.was continued till dark, the enemy being held 10
check by our artillery, dismountGd cavalry and
"skirmishers" What next?-Surely, after ma
king this brilliant stand, and fighting with such
distinguished valor, the Yankee forces must have
held their ground-must have maintained a posi-
tion which they so fgorousy and trump hantly de-
Tended. Let General Hancock tell US what they
did immediately the heels Of tits signal repulse
Of the rebels, LAT dark says he, Withdrew.
for reasons stated If the reasons" are stated"
in his despatch they have escaped our eye. But
of them, at least, is stated elsewhere and
is the only one We have seen, it is doubt the
only one which has been assigned Ii Is f"uUd III
the Washington Star, which says:
at seems that Hancock wi.ildrawal the
night Of the battle was accordance With previous
orders from General Grant and Was not cor. pulse
ry from the reDets, Hancock bad been ordered
after executing to work of destruction Of the rail
road assigned him 10 fall back III the 5th corps.
In the meantime, The rebels made their attack, and
after the f. biting OF the day, Hancock carried out
the order to fall back
1t thus appears that Hancock had a Job upon
bis hands, which nc to do before be fell back,
ar.I that job Wis the destruction of the railroad
Now he question j., had he flushed the job?
Let the following extract from despatch from
FORTRESS Monroe, dated Angus 28th. say whethtr
he had OF not:
About Z :, M, we commenced retiring which
we accomplished without molcstation Nothing
lost III advancing position, shot being fired
by the enemy. " e sacrifice nothing By advancing
the position, except, perhaps, the destruction OF
few miles more OF the raj road &c L. il not evil
dent from che last words of this extract that the
job which Hancock had 10 do was not finished!
That "a few miles more of the railroad" were EN-
braced in it? How then il be said that he tell
back CATER executing the work of destruction of
the railroad assigned to him. The talsehood of
the reason given for his Withdrawal at dark, is
hereby made so palabe that fool can see it in an
instant. This could not have been the reason 1t
was some other, and the only rational and true So
luton of the matter is that Hancock Withdrew at
dark because he was badly whipped and knew
that he could not retain the position longer than
daylight the next morning.
The loss Of his guns is accounted for in a most
extraordinary way-There was not drop OF rain
during the day OF the fight. Some had fallen the
day before, but not enough to mire the ground, as
is sufficiently evident from the fact that no diff
Guilty is spoken of in moving the artillery during
the engagement, which continued "until dark"
Yet the Star says, getting the cue, doubt, from
Grants headquarters: alt is reported by the boat
this morning. that lost but eight guns, and that
these were lost in consequence Of the sudden fall
of rain, rendering it impossible to drag them of
the heavy ground after the horses were shot
This is all stuff. The guns (nine in number) were
all captured and no effort made to "drag them of,
Hancock and his men being too anxious to save
themselves to pay any attention to the guns.
We have thus noticed one or two Of the Yankee
perversons of truth in their of the battle
and its result 10 order to show how the Northern
public are imposed upon by the army kilograms ,
which are sent off Immediately after every defeat.
Such a system ofreckless lying never known
No wonder that the war goes when such des-
perate expedients resorted to conceal It's disas
tiers in order to keep alive the hostile spirit In
those who began it-when every defeat Ia trum-
peted as victory, and every bafied movement Of
their army represented to be complete success.