Litchfield enquirer., 1864-06-09
Our A1my COrrespOMdence.
SOUTH NoRwALK, June 4ih, 1864.

| DEAR ENQUIRER Fl left the Headquarters of the Army of the Potomac on Monday af- ternoon, and had proceeded two or three miles on my way to White House, when discover ed that demonstration was being made aga'nst our left flank by the enemy. Riding up to General Sheridan's Headquarters near Newcastle. learned that his pickets had been driven in by Rebel Cavalry, and he was then preparing to repel the attack. Having never witnessed Cavalry fight, aud hearing that Wbite House was not yet known to be occupied by our army, I decided to stop at least till evening. -.--.,s...... ..-....--... ..
 General Sheridan ordered the lst Division of his Cavalry Corps to charge upon the Reb. el advance, that had now almost reached his Headquarters. It was a scene that I shall never forget The ring of bugles, the clattel of horses feet, and clang of outleaping sa. bres, the wild shout, the charge, the shock when steel met steel. the rout, the chase, as back across the open fields the chivalrous (?) sons of the Palmetto State fled in their fright the re-mounting of dismounted men upon the steeds of fallen comrades to join in the victo. rious cavalcade, the mingled mass of bleeding dead and dying, friends and foes lying to- gether, calmly gazing into each others eyes l shall never forget these-I would not. Gen. Sheridan, in this action, not only recovered his old picket-fre, but swung the enemy's right wing some two or three miles. At g o'clock, P. M., in company with Cavalry escort of so men, I started again and reached White House, after hard and exciting ride of B hours.
 Even General Grant has practiced one '' trick y in this campaign that is very annoy ing to newspaper correspondents o swinging loose from his base of supplies ev cry few days. When we left Brewley Station the lines of communication were utterly aban. doned and until new base of supplies was established at Belle Plain, all dispatches had to be taken for fifty miles, through country infested by guerillas, and occupied by rebel cavalry. The perils of such a journey were of course great, and I presume that at least one half of those who attempted it, were cap tured. Then again, in moving from Spottsyl, vania to the North Anna, all protection was withdrawn from the Fredericksburg route along a road that for twenty miles, led through Rebel Country. Another chance was thus given to members of the Press to show their pluck, and d long article might be written of incidents attending the transmission of news. Several more hearers of dispatches were prob- ably captured on this route. It is with no small interest, at such times, that we clasp the hand of our comrade in farewell" and look upon his retreatng figure, wondering what is before him and a sad duty it is, after days of watching and waiting for his return, to con- municate to his friends the story of his prob able fate. Almost the last question that 1 heard at Headquarters, was the anxious in quiry: Have you heard from Carlton yet?' and it will be the first inquiry that l shall make on my retarn. Poor fellow We had misgvings when he started from that {" Old Chesterfield Tayern," one week ago last Tuesday morning, on his fearful enterprise and if the rebels have captured him, they have got one of the noblest, traest men in the na- ton.
 One of the most interesting features of this campaign, is the rescue of hundreds of con trabands' from Slavery. As our army march es through this country never before occupied by Union troops, the negroes swarm in from all directions, seeking tn eir liberty under the protection of our arms More than half of these, in the aggregate, are young girls be tween l5 and 25 years of age. The able bod jed men are employed in the Rebel army, and many of the old and infrm prefer the certain | ty of support by their masters, to the chances of want in the land of Freedom The devi ces that are employed by their ''proprietors to keep them from escaping, are numerous They are told that they will be sold into Sla very agoin-that they will be branded, hung shot or starved by our soldiers. Many o them are taken to Richmond, and there lock ed up for safe keeping. But the most crue practice of all-one against which all true hearts will raise the voice of condemnation is that of taking babes and little ones from their mothers embrace, and confning them ir some place of security as hostages for the "good conduct of the parents-thus placing the sacred ties of parental love in opposition to the instincts of Ere edom.
 This inhun,an practice was the foundation of very interesting incident that came under my personal observation. A party of oui scouts dressed in rebel uniform, stopped at g house outside our lines, where they were joy fully re ceived by woman of Southern sympa thes. After treating them to a bountifu1 dinner, she informed them that she had a child of one of her most valuable slaves, shut up in the ice-house; but its mother the night before had run away. She feared the Yan- kees would come and find the child thus i'm. prisoned, and kill her " in their love for the