The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-02-04
LATEST fR0MTHE North.

We have received from the signal corps
officer, copy Of the New York Herald, of
Monday last, the LIT inst. The following is
a summary of the news:
LIScoLy's DRAFT rcoSsoLIDArnp-50o 900 MEN All
Eli FoR-rnR REAL CALL BEING FOR 300 go.
LincoG has Issued the following call for troops
ExEcu1IvE MANSION,
Washington, Feb lst, 1864.
Ordered, that daft FOR 800 900 men 20 for
| three years or during the be made on the 10th
day Of March next. for the military service of the
United States, cfediting and dcductng thereiroH
many as may have been enlisted drafted into
the service prior to tac lst day o: March and not
| heretofore credited. ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
The Herald says
sSThe new order l. bnt consolidation of the TWO
calls previously issued for 800 600 men, nearly hail
| OF whom were obtained by volunteering aud re-
eEiistments, and which number, as well ~ those
enlisted to the ist of March next, will he cred
| tied Therefore the call virtually demands ,niy
two hundred thousand men. II the enlistment oi
soldiers property and vigorously advanced, ther
will Je no need of any draft to fiji the gaGtd de
maa,!'d by Air Lincoln"
Upon this ANNOUNCEMENT nj the Hralt has char
actetistic article abont having 'peaca from Maine
| To- the Rio Grande, +" ana, then "se,lling with Eng
| land and rIance.''
CAFTrRE OF AytSKRE ARMY TRAiS-sEvERE FIGHT
HARDY COUNTY, VA.
The following dispatch Is istelegrlpled 10 The New
York papers
HEADQ'Rs DEPT WESTERN VIRG'vrA,N
J3nuary 81, 1eGi.
Again are In the midst of excitement and nc
iyily, caused by severe conflict that took place
Yesterday af crnnOu in the u,ighhofhOOd OF VII
iiams port, Hardy county. and which lasted, with
considerable persistence and severity, for four
| hours.
On Thursday night train of about eighty
wagon sent from New Creek. heavily
| laden with comiuSSary stores for the garrison at
Petersburg, aud accompanying the train was an
escort o S0t men, being detaclinents from the 23i
Illinois, Urish Brigade, 4h Virginia cavalry, I'd
Maryland, ist aud !4th Virginia infantry and 100 Of
The Kingsold cavalry battalion, the whole under
command uf Col. !. w. Snyder.
Nothing unusual occurred until the train got
about three miles south of Wjiamsport, when il
suddenly set upon at different points by open
aud concealed io;C, Oi the enemy.
although somewhat surprised by the suddenn"ss
of the attack, the guard AT ancc turlned and de
pIoyed for action. Then it was that hard fight
cnsued, commencing AT O'Clock in the afternoon
and lasting for four hours, at the expiration OF
which time it found that we had about eighty
| IL killed AMI wound ID, rank and file. The encny's
| loss Is said to be about one hundred.
In the early part OF the fight the rebels opened
fire from four pieces of artillery. The superiority
al the eurmy's >trength-there being in all about
1900 men-also gave them an advantage Ill out
hinkIng movements, and the enemy exercised his
ingenuity simultaneously TO operate on the tTunt
rear, nnd flank. Of Col Snyder's counianj.
| The enemy, however, completely failed Of his
object, which seemed Ia he to try surround, and
| il possible 10 capture, the whole party. Several
times The rebel lines Were hrokcn and several
| times the rebel charges were fepu s"d.
At last, night closed, The superior numbers O
the rebels and not their .Do fighting qualities,
gained them success.
Al one time the train was ia a fair way of being
entirely saved; hut owing to The cXcitablc skedad-
ding prOpcnsities of sofne few OF the teanSters,
ana the effect OF their conduct others Kind OF
panic WAS the result portion nt the train Wa9
saved tW;'hstandtg the above mentioned mis-
fortunes. On hearing nf the engagement, Colonel
|iuliIgan at once sent reinioTcementS to Colonel
Snyder.
later dispatch than the above says that the
command OF Col. Thuburu, which comprised the
| CARLSON at Petersburg, had succeeded in making
their escape hy mountain road passing bctWeen II
| two Of our columns, with all their trains, guns,
sc The dispatch says that the next morning
Gen Early shelicd the evacuated tortfcati0ns
A dispatch from Washington states that dis
patches had been received at the Yankee War De
| plttment, from Gen Kelly, continuing the capture
OF the trains above alluded to.