The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-08-31
WEDNESDAY MORNING. AUGUST 81, 1864.
THE WAR NEWS.


THE WAR NEWS.
There has been no more fighting in front Of Pc
tersburg, though tho enemy continued to shell the
city Monday night and yesterday with unabatsd
vigor The Yankees still hold the line Of the Wei
don railroad in heavy force, and both armies are
quietly watching each other, whilst the respective
leaders busy arranging their plans for the fa-
ture. With the close of the month Of August ends
the summer campaign of 1864, and Richmond, the
objective point OF all Yankee hopes, still stands Sc
cure in her strength, with an unconquerable army
between her walls ami the foe Grant has exhausted
the summer, as he promised, "fghting it out on
that line. though it il line 50 long drawn out and
crcuitous that it would almost puzzle student of
geography TO trace it on the map. True he did not
comprehend such an extensive line when he made
his promise; but his ideas have doubtless confo,red
to it ere this. His campaign has been stupendous
failure. resulting in nothing but terrible sacrifice
of the lives Of his troops; yet, with the stubborn
ness OF mule, he still peescveres in the hopeless
undertaking Of moving ON to Richmond"
II is estimated that total loss in the engage
mcnt at Reams's will not exceed seTcn or eight hun
dred. Considering the character Of the works
stormed by troops, the quantity of artillery
them, this may be regarded miraculously
small. :"
A report reaches us from Petersburg that large
body of Yankee cavalry Monday morn
ing moving around towards our extreme right, i'll
the dire tion OF the Weldon railroad 1t has been
conIe tuled that another raid is i'll contemplation
THE VALLEY OF VIRGINIA
1t Is stated that Sheridan's troops were greatly
demoralized on their retreat to Harpcr's Feny.
They broke up great many of their guns, throw
others into wells and exhibited every sign Of appre
hension lest they should be overt0ken by old Jubas
rebels. All the hay AMI grain their route wss
burnt, and III some instances barns Were fined in
order to destroy the contents. They burnt no dwell
ling AT this time, and assigned for burn
ing tAe hay and grain that the Confedcrates had
burnt ChaItbersburg. The troops were perfectly
lawe. and the worst behaved set OF men the people
OF that region They killed or drove off all
the cattle, hogs, sheep, horses and poultry, took
wagons, carriages and buggicS, destroyed gar
dena and stole al the provisions they could find
Some idea may be formed OF their numbers when We
state that they We're eleven hours passing given
point = double-luick i'll going back. A desolate
track marked then progress wherever they vent
1t Is sad that Sheridan is fully ed with the
importance of his POSITION and ports himself very
Ike monarch He travels in state riding in fine
carriage drawn by four splendid gray horses.
Between four hundred anl five hundred prisoners,
captured by General E;uly in the Lower Valley,
passed through HanisOnburg on Tuesday week We
ale informed that they sail not be Immediately
ied out .; the Valley, but kept conveniently near
at hand, that iii any vi them happen to be
wanted by General Early he Just call fOI them.
This would indicate that TIE Law of retaliation Is
about to BE- enforced. Villains who burn bans and
stacks Of grain to starvc the inhabitants ot country
into submission to tyranny deserve to be haged 10
the fist tree.
\ report, which lacks continuation was current
yesterday that General Early fought the Yankees
Oh Saturday last, and defeated them with great
slaughter 1t il, doubtless Il repetition OF the lu
| NOR Of Sunday last.
IMPORTANT FROM GEORGIA-sHEkNAN's
CHANGE OF POSITION -WnEELEk'S OpE-
RATIONS IN TIE REAR.
The following ottieial dispatch received yes
terity at the Wan Department
ATLANTA, August IS, 1864.
= Hen. James 4. Sediou:
| THE enemy have changed their entire position
the left of their line resting near the Chattahoochee
point opposite and near the West Point railroad,
between East Point and Fairburn. They hold all
the crossings the Chattahoochee, but not with a
continued line.
dispatches from General Wheeler of the 18th,
report the capture Dalton, with large quantities
of stores, about two hundred prisoners and two
hundred nudes.
"'is destroyed three trains of cars and twenty
hYe miles OF railroad His command in gna1
condition. J. B. Hoop, General"
1t thus appears that the reports Of Wheeler ope
! rations in the enemy's rear have not been exagge
rated Dalton is one hundred miles from Atlanta
OH the Western and Atlantic railroad, and very nea,
the Tennessee line. 1t is directly On Sherman.
line Of communication, with his base of supplies a,
Chattanooga; and the destruction ot twenty-five
miles of railroad at that point seriously inter
tefe with his operations before Atlanta. There are
uueontirned runors Of an advance of Wheeler into
East Tennessee, but think it likely that he
remains for the present between SheIIhan's army
ana Chattanooga The Western and Atlantic rail
road connects at Dalton with the Tennessee and
Georgia railroad for Knoxville, that he is IL y
position operate upon both Routes ut the same
time. Eleven days have elapsed since the date oi
General Wheeler's dispatch, and it is fair 10 pre-
sune that he has not been idle during that period
East Point, the locality mentioned in General
Hoods dispatch, ia SIX miles from Atlanta. The
ensmy's line, We understand it, now forms ere
scent, commencing the north, aud extending
around West Of the city.
shermau's object in this movement is, doubtless,
to occupy and hold the Atlanta and West Point
railroad following the strategy oi Grant at Peters
burg.