Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-05-20
FROM GEN MnrQA #'. HoNAANn.


Since my las: .eue. We h'.Ts i'"'i s:'rrirs
i'u;s IN his Department.
f., Yankee Generals Aycrii', L2vtn and
nc:fc have been making desperate attempts
t, occupy the country, and. regret to say,
with too much success have M dnutt that
their INVASION WAS based uVon t.c c:rrnin'v
Ct Grants success before chmond, w!'c'
would thus have enabled them to take full
AID entire possession Of Virginia at onesran1
blow. Gen. Leo however, has h;.d something
to say in the execution Of thi9 programme,
and has, fortunately, very scIi"usIy intcrlcred
with it.
Your readers have no doubt heard al about
The capture Of Dublin, .ani tho subsequent
movement of the enemy Oil New riveEsbrloge,
and, ~ know very little Of the particulars,
I will not attempt to relate them.
On Sunday night last General Morgan lett
Saltvlle for the purpose Of occupying Laurel
Creek Gap, and prevent the approach OF Cen
erals Averil and Duffie, who were reported to
be Mt Jacksonville. His command reached
reached the gap after very taticulng march
over a rough and difficult road, about t%o
o'cl lck, A. NJ, on Monday M 'rning. Scents
were DESPATCHED towards JGtfcrsOnyilla, who
returned about three O'Clock. p. Al, and gave
the information that the enemy we're moving
upon Wytheyille 1t ROW became u matter OF
the utmost importance to reach there IN time
TO meet the3h, and the command was ordered
~ move. They reached q point about thirty
two miles from here by eleven o'clock, I. NJ,
and went into camp The next morning, at
six O'Clock, the column was put Iii motion and
arrived in town at ; o'clock. A camp was
selected, and the order given to unsaddle anu
Iced tho horses, which by this time WAS very
necessary, az they had not been led but once
since leaving Ssltviile.
Scarcely had the saddles been removed he-
fore it was announced That the enemy were
approaching in strong fnrce through Cr"ckct'S
Gap. Crttcndcn, with the forces Of C"lonc!
Bowen ard Lieutenant! C0loanl Cook, was or
dcred to occupy the G:p a"l contest thc'r
advance. Colonel Gil.n:r's brigade and
General M0rgan's old brigade, under til"
command Of Lieut.. Col. L. y. Aston, war"
ordered to move rapidly 10y s.ir.uitou1 rGnsc
through tho woods and attack the cnelny
7i..or u-ly in their rear. ~ The time they
had reached . position 10 command the en-
trance of the Gap, the enemy had :;Iicn back
and were drawn W in line u; battle on v,rI
high hill in an upen field, winch Commanded
the whole cGuLtry in their irunt. The country
here is a Succession Of high and beautifully
sloping hills, ard in tiae cultivation. In
few minutes after thtir arrival On the ground
in from. Of the entmy, G,itGer's aud A'ston's
brisades were dism1unted and formed IN line
| of Eat,e, and the order IL a!:arc, WIS given.
| Tho men responded 10 it hy y tremendous
shout, which made the Yankees trcmhle.-
Naver were any trnnr' known "a aiVanc"
with moro sta,dincss AMI d-L, rIninaiun.--
| Their officer, instead If being repaired t.
| urge them forward, were obliged "a check
| their mpc'uo,ty, /" preserve the !inc. Never
was there q more beautiful sigh; tEan wa
exhibited by those bravo mon nnrch:ag with
| eager impatcncc to attack AZ enemy "!n
were so strongly posted, and cou lie p!ainI:
seen greatly to outnumbor them. Mt il man
| fultercd, bur al seemed b. c",t":d wh" .lI"u!d
| Re in the lead. As g;!z:i earnestly on RI"
short lst;.rco that interviewed hciwcca tue
two hostile columns GT.d saw 1t growing les
very RAPIDLY, the Anxiety AID, euslcn-c wn'
painful " nv unnnS that noble hlni We t"
be the list to fell. Directly lAarc - u tire
mendous roar of n,uskotry which! il tJl0wed
by voilsy from the carbinea 0! the I!.kees,
which docs not however, check the advance
OF our line in the least. NoIl"y after "H!l"y
are fired in quick saccessiDn, and the sound
rn7erberates through tho long CHAIN O! hills.
| The Yarke, saw VIC we're going for them,
| and could not stand It. AID thcr nne h'gina 70
yield. With wild shGut we p.ts' t:rw&r!,
and snon their whole Lille - in TctTc:it. fin1-
ing that VIC could NIT press them IS lat NJ
they could retire, t!:oy wheel end firm nca'n.
| With another Ut those shout, winch tic IAN
| KEGS have heard so often, that they know
| what It means, our Eicn c1Iti:'uI: b advance,
the encmy's line j. ng:ia broken, M! they iai.
back 10 another hill.
About THU time Co!nn.l Critterdan's iGrc",
which WAS commanded in peraon by General
Morgan, is seen to eLAcrGn nom til" gap, just
in front of the left flank of rno enemy. In
another minute tic sGund OF artillery is c:ri
aud shell exPlodt= right in the mii'iiic o!
The YaEkoe lincs.s Tho enthusiasm UI sur
man IN the left was now unbnund d. L'rut.
| Uuval, who commanded TIC artillery, poured
| shell after shell INTO their rrtrcating column,
and If tho difnlty of climbing tho steep
bills h3d Eos prevented = ral'''i pursuit, tho
! retreat w0uld soon have la;,,lr Z r"nt. The
| Yankees beng d-lnountcd ir front 81 i!,cir
hor-es whenever they we're !riS"n back would
mount a,:l 20 back 20 rapidly that they wonid
1
M with them. After driving them in tins
manner for nearly five milrs, W. saw, with
.,orrCw, that the aun w;l+ de"!irinH. Never
did wish "a earnestly FIR 'wo h"urs
mere %! daylight Ju-t two hours AMI
wc could have captured the entire fierce
or Cut them up very badly, FOR wr
wcro rapidly getting them into SUCH position
that !, would have been impossible IoT them
| bn iuIpl Inn
formed and u halt ordered, ~ it was rri,lc' t
wc ud gain nothing hy pursuing them ~
ter dark. Many Of The men cried Ont: &c J.
Onel, lust permit ia to chgrgc ih"n ono" mo-
and then We wil! hu wiling t. q'.'i." l'ru-
llcnoe, however required Of Ccn.ra! Morgan
that the pnrsuit should ccaSc, and INC ori"r
being given 70 c.urn - camp, VS. quietly and
rcgrst!uly oLcyeI. Oar cylnnrEiI had DOW
marched ti:irtY-iiyo miles on iors" back.
fought five hours, ard had To march back
eight miles to camp notwithstanding the
| great fatigue the luGn and horses Lad uEdrr
o ne, ard the f,a. that our hors.5 h"l ',rS
had net been fed fr Two day, en- M'rgan
determined TO take advantage oi THIS victory,
aad before tho enemy could ie reiniolc'd III
Rock7 Gap, to send an expedition to caf':u-c
their wagons Mt that place. Major. C::s:cll,
| with his battalion, WIS therefore ordered 20
proceed Mt once TO that p,int and capture the
wagons. lie and his command cbccrfully
obeyed, and | hope when We next hear from
| him, that no has mot With succeis. Oar 5"
in this engagement was snall--not m"re than
forty in killed and wounded, twenty-onc OF
which wero Of AlBton's brigade. Tie loss rf
the enemy was much greater, as they left uncn
the field in killed alonc nearly as many as
We had in killed and wounded. Gan. AccriIl,
one of the Yankee Generals, was wcnnded in
the hesd, I'VE arc inlo,medeby a lady whose
| house was in the rear Of the Yankee lines
| early in the fight. 1t was Gen. Morg.ns
| purpose to renew the attack at daylight; but
the enemy, taking advantage Of the night,
made their escape.
This is o very important victory. ms it was