Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-05-20
FROM THE poTouAC ARMY.

FnOn IkAE ANN
Headquarters Army Potomac, May I3.-1he
Army of the Potomac has achieved the greatest
victory recorded in history. The battle Of yes
terday is acknowledged to be the heaviest of all,
| lasting from daylight till after dark, renewed
| about 8 P. NJ, and continuing till nearly 3 A.
NJ, both parties contending during the night for
the possession of line of rife pits from which
our men had driven the enemy in the morning.
The rebels fell back early this morning and
skirmishingis is now going on. Our troops are
following them up through the woods.
The scene presented to-day is entirely beyond
description. The dead and the dying behind
and in front of the breastworks are lying in
some places in piles three and four deep, many
of them wounded in several parts of the body.
The enemy had removed a large number of
their dead and wounded during the night from
portions of the line, but there were places they
could not reach, and there they lay as thick as
our own. 1t was Gen. Birney's division which
| charged the position, and lost about 700 men.
Every regiment in the division distinguished
| ITSELF and no one bore a more noble part than
the 93d New York
| Col Carrolrs brigade aided this division in
| the charge, and as usual performed their share
of the work with great gallantry. Col Carroll
was wounded a second time but still keeps on
duty.
| Some of the caissons are now being brought
|
Der of guns captured is 80. Many colors have
been taken, but the captors still retain them as
| trophies Col CarrQll's brigade took number
| of prisoners and a stand of colors this morning
| from a rebel regiment which they surprised in
| piece of woods.
Dispatches dated Headquarters Army of the
| Potomac, 18th, 10 NJ, at which time the Mes
| senger to the Associated Press left, contain the
| following:
Headquarters Army Potomac, May l3.-SOi-
| d6ers: The moment has arrived when your
commanding General feels authorized to address
| you in terms of congratulation. For eight days
and nights, almost without intermission, in rain
and sunshine you have been gallantly fighting
a desperate foe in positions naturally strong,
and wondered doubly SO by entertainments
| You have compelled him to abandon his fortifi-
cations the Rapidan to retire aud attempt to
/ stop your onward progress and now he has
abandoned the last entrenched position, so te-
naciously held, suffering in all loss of lS guns
% colors and 5000 prisoners, including two
general officers. Your heroic deeds and noble
endurance of fatigue and privations will ever be
| memorable. Let us return thanks to God for
| the mercy thus shown US and ask earnestly for
| its continuance. Soldiers your work is not
| over. The enemy must be pursued and, if pos
sible overcome. The courage and fortitude
you have displayed renders your commanding
OeOeGdl CODuuGUb l1dG YOUR iutuIe elOIlS Will
result in success. While we mourn the loss of
many gallant comranes. let us remember that
the enemy must havesuffered equal, ifnot great
er losses We will soon receive reinforcements
which-he cannot expect. Let US determine to
continue vigorously the work well begun,
and under Gods blessing, in short time the OBJ
iect of our labOrs will be accomplished.
GEO. E. MEADE.
Mai.-Gen. Commanding.
A dispatch from Gen. Sherman has just been
received, dated near Resaca May 18th. 1t
| states that by flank movement on Resaca John
ston had been forced to evacuate Dalton, and
our forces were in his rear and flank. The
weather was fine, and the troops in fine order.
Ali working we'll and as fast as possible.
No intelligence has been received from Gen.
Butler. Guerrillas have broken the telegraph
lines between Williamsburg aud Old James
town. This is believed to be the reason why
no reports have been received from him.
Dispatches from General Sigel report him to
be at Woodstock The rumor that he had brok-
en- the railroad between Lynchburg and Char
lOttesville is not true.
Our wounded are coming in from Belle Plain
as fast as the transports can bring them. Gen.
~ E. N. STANTON.
New York, May l5-The HerdldS 9Th corps
correspondent of May 18th, afternoon, says the
| fight continued throughout the afternoon Ofthe
10Th and terminated before night fall, with VIC
tory for our troops. The fight was more terri
| bic than in the forenoon. We added largely to
our prisoners and punished the enemy more Sc
verely than ON any previous day. We have
over 5000 prisoners, while we have not lost
over half that number and only three spiked
guns Every battery in the corps was engaged,
dischaIging five hundred rounds each. Nearly
all the other batteries in the other corps were
also used. Gen. Wright and two of his staff
were slightly wounded by a shell, but did not
leave the field The wounded in the 5th corps
sum up over 500 in to-day's fight. The 9th
Massachusetts, which left Culpepper Court
House with 800 muskets, has but SO men left
The I'd Vermont which had $50 muskets, has
but 1870 left. The 4th Michigan which had 277
at the first fight, now numbers only II men.
The rebel Gen. johnson, of Hills corps, was
killed yesterday.
| New York May I5.-The following dispatch
has been received by Major Gen. Dix:
An official dispatch from the battle field at
Spottsylvania yesterday morning at $50 states
that during the preceding night, Friday, a
movement was made by the 5th and 9th corps
to the left and an attack was to have been made
at daylight but no sound of battle has been
heard from that quarter. This movement it
has been said, if successful. would place our
forces in Lees rear, and compel him to retreat
towards Lynchburg. No sound of battle was
heard yesterday at Belle Plain or Fredericks-
burg which affords ground for inference that
Lee had retreated during the night, and before
the advance of the 5th and 9th corps. Nothing
later than $50 A. NJ yesterday has been re-
ceived from the army of this department All
wounded that had reached Belle Plain yester-
day evening have arrived here.
The surgical report from headquarters states
Al e
and that the wounded are doing well.
The Medical Director at Belle Plain reports
that everything at that point is satisfactory
| The surgical arrangements have never been SO
complete as at present
Gen. Sberidan's command had reached the
left bank ofTurkey Island, at 3 o'clock yester-
day evening, and have formed their junction
with the force of Gen. Butler.
E. N. STANTON,
Secretary of War.
Washington, May l5-The total number of
our wounded brought up from the battle field
so far is 1900. OF this number l.400 have
been placed in the hospital at Alexandria, and
the remainder distributed throughout the hos
pitals of this city.
An army surgeon who came up last night
says that we have about $4,000 remaining at
Fredericksburg and Belle Plain These figures
include many skedaddlers, who when separated
from the wounded, will diminish the number
materially.
Washington. May I4.-Yesterday 1900 pris-
oners including 400 officers, arrived at Belle
Plain One the rebel Generals captured is
Bradley S. johnson, of Maryland, formerly EN-
ployed in the House of Representatives and
prominent member of the Maryland Legisla-
ture, when it undertook to run the State out of
the Union.
Washington, May l5.-The Ny, Po and Ia
rivers form the Matapony, 8 or l0miles south of
this Lee considered the intermediate country
susceptible of defence and erected substantial
earthworks last year Immediately fronting our
present position. They are sodded and seem
to mount heavy guns. We are between the Ny
and Po rivers,Ifrom one to two miles north of
Spottsylvania.
Since the fightof Thursday we have captured
about 1000 more prisoners making our total
captures in the neighborhood of $4,000.
Washington, May l6, 5 P. Mo MAJ. Gen.
Dic: We have dispatches from Grant to 8
o'clock this morning. He states that offensive