The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1864-05-18
Gen. Meade has issued the following address
10 his command:
HEApoUARrERs Army OF THE PoToXAc,
Nav 18th 1864

YOUR commanding General feels authorized TO ad-
dress you in terms Of congratulation. For eight
days aud nights almost without intermissiOn, 10
rain and sunshine, you have been CALAMITY
fighting desperate foe 10 positions naturally
strong, and rendered doGbly 50 by entrench-
meuts. You have compelled him to abandon his
Notifications on the Rapidan, TO retire and at
tempt TO stop your Onward progress, and nov be
has abandoned the last enIrenched position so
tenaciou-ly held, suffering in all loss of eight
cen guns. twenty two cOiOrs. ard 5, e9a prison
ers, including to General officers. Your heroic
deeds AMI noble endurance OF fatigue and privs
lions viii ever be memorable Let Us return
our thanks 90 God for the mercy thus shown u,
and ask earnestly for its Continuance Soldiers
your wok rs not over, the enemy must be pur-
sued and II possible, overcome. The courage
and for,itude YOU have displayed renders your
commanding General confident that YOUR future
effor1s will result in success While mourn
The loss OF many gallant comrades let u Femem.
Der that the enemy must have suffered equal #
MT greater lJsses. We will soon receive reu-
fosceuents which be Cannot expect. Let Us de
terG.ine then 10 ccntinue vigorously the work so
~eil begun, and under Gods blessing. Ia a short
time the object OF our la5ors ~il be accomplish
ed. (Sisned,) GEO. &. MEADE.
Mi Gen. Commanding.
81 =,
arrived at Belle Plain. Oae OF the rebel Gener
ais captured is Bradley 5. johnson, OF Maryland,
formerly employed in the House of Representa-
lives, prominent member OF the Mary land Leg
isature when il undertook TO run the State OuL OF
the Union.
A wounded rebel prisoner states that Long
street was wounded 10 the right breast, and sub
-equeutv his command understood that he died
on the Way 10 Redmond
A ?. Hill was also wounded in the engage
meht. Ii is stated by several that they heard
| Lee was wounded
The Government is sparing no pains 70 sup
port Grant The energy displayed To this end
d truly commemorate. Since the battle of the
Wilderness, aud moe particularly since the ar
NV has been engaged in the vicinity of SpOttsyl-
vania, reinforcement have been rapidly sent tor
ward. ~ QUO men left this city on Thu sday, and
it il stated that Sigel has reinforced the Army Of
the Potomac with Ii, 600 men.
There is every probability that the losses OF the
army 10 the l0te battles have been greatly eIsg
gcrated, and that the reinforcement OF 25, 0Ot
more men, referred 10 above, will very nearly
make up all the losses, so that General Meade :.
army will be quite 4 strong in morale aud nun
ericalry as IL was when il set OUT upon the cam-
paign.
SATURDAY, May IL.
Official dispatches announce a most splendid
cavalry raid by Gen. Sheridan towards Richmond
He started on Monday the 9th instant, and dur
ing that night destroyed an immense amount o.
railroad stock az Beaver Da %, 5000 pounds
Of bacon, and million and half Of rebel "a
lions and other property, and recap tured SIS
prisoners On the 10Th he captured Ashland
station, and destroyed more railroad stock and
several of the rebel government buildings. He
sfterxards attacked the rebel Gen. SEuarts force
concentrated at Yellow Tavern, defeated and
drove them across the ChickahOminv. While
this fight was going on, part OF his forces
charged and captured the fret line OF the ene-
mys wor&s around Richmond and during the
night he marched bis y hole command between
the f 81 ard second lines Of their works. H.
ascerIained that these works were very strong
and deeming it unwise to make an attack. re-
crossed the Chckhominv, aud on the l4th join
ed Gen. Buffers command at Turkey Bend, on
the James river. Gen. Sheridan's loss in tbi.
operation, was only about $50 10 killed, wounded
and missing.
The total numbers Of our wounded brought
up from the battlefield SO far is , 700. OF thi.
number 400 have been placed in hospital a
| Alexandria and the remainder is distributed
throughout the hospitals of This city. An army
surgeon who came up last night saws that Wi
have about Is. 600 remaining at Fredericksburg
and Belle Plain. These figures include nany
skeddaders, who, when separated from the
wounded will decrease henumbervery materially
The latest accounts from Gen. Butler state
that there was no fighting on the 10th or 18th
All is quiet aud has been since the enemy fell
back on the Ilth. During the lllh the enemy
kept ont of sight, and did not show thenseVe:
10 any force throughout the day.
-
on the l2th inst, with lao prisoners They re.
post having destroyed several miles of track on
the Norfolk aud Petersburg, and Petersburg and
Weldon railroads. They also state that they
destroyed all the railroad bridges over Rowants
and Stony Creek and on the Mattany river
A general assault was to have been made on
the enemy's right wing on Saturday morning
but. owing to the wretched condition of the
roads which have been rendered almost im
passibe by the storm. a portion Of our army
failed TO get into position, and the attack bad
to be abandoned in consequence.
On Saturday evening just before dusk, the
rebels made an attack on the position occupied
by the 9th corps principally with artillery, but
were finally driven back with severe loss The
cannOnading was furious for several hours. We
lost a number of valuable officers and from 200
TO 300 men killed aud wounded.
The IVorlfs special further says: The loss
# killed and wounded is almost made good by
the reinforcement- which have already reached
the Army of the Potomac. Troops have been
pouring through this city from the West and
elsewhere during the last faw days OF the past
week II is believed the numbers will not
amount to less than 20 600 fresh men.
Since the fight OF Thursday we have captured
about 1000 more prisoners making our total
captures in the neighborhoOd of 1000.
Lee has erected substantial breastwOrks
eight or ten miles south of the Pc River, i'm
mediately fronting our advance.
SUNDAY, May Is.
surgeon of the Goth New York Regiment,
who was captured with COO others IL the third
days fight, and subsequently psroled, came into
our lines on Saturday with the body OF Cen
Wad sworth. which had been inferred Dy order
of Gen Lee, in a heat coffin. He also saw Gen
Longstreet in his tent. He is wounded in his
collar-bOne The wound was not mortal, but
would incapacilate him from active duty for some
time.
The rebel lines are well supplied by lines Of
Interior O ks and more are being constructed.
Gen Lee has not been wounded, as the Sur
geOn saw and talked with him on Friday, when
he gave him permission 70 take the bod OF Ger.
WaisSorth. H. is Of the opinion that the rebe 6
will vet make a desperate resistance He says
privstions only seem 10 exasperste them, and
hey are kept up by the hope and idea Of eI-
ha0sling Us and compelling u 10 abandon The
contest
The Hera'Ts special from Washington, l5th,
saws: The ID Corps has lost l son killed; 1000
wounded. and 900 missing TIE Fifth Corps
!