The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1864-05-24
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FINNtAfH 70 OUT iHfNtfs 4tN iNAtt
division occupied Chester. small
staiien about fourteen miles from
Richmond, and destroyed The track
there aud other railroad property
Turner moved IN on hisfeit and made
clean sweep down the road towards
Petersburg, until he came up to Ames'
division, which was also busily en-
gaged II burning ana destroying.
The temporary destruction Of
railroad by body Of men is com
paranYely easy job The rail. are
generally wrencbcd of, and The ties
torn Up. placed III piles and fred, the
rails being laid on the top Of the
burning piles. Wbcu well heated the
rails are twisted or bent and rendered
entirely useless. To day, at some
high embsnkmenis, regimentof men
was stationed in line on the side Of
the road, and after the les had been
loosened from the bed Of the road,
then section Of tie rails and ties
were raised, and tumbled down the
embankment with crash. When
bridges were encountered the torch
was applied to them and they were
destroyed. The work for four miles
was completely finished before noon,
and The columns began TO mass again
and move down the Richmond and
Petersburg pike towards Petersburg,
General Smiths corps having the adj
vance.
General Cooley Weiizel, with his
division Of tie Eighteenth corps, led
tie column, and carefully fell bis way
down the pike, with strong line Of
skirmishers well in advance. From
several sources we had learned that
General ID. II. Hill, or General
ieauregard, was massing his forces
about four miles this side OF Peters
burg, preparing toeontest our advance.
Sure enough, our skirmishers encoun-
tered tie rebel lines mile or more
this side Of deep, side creek, which
was said to lie their main line. A
desulory skirmish fire began and
continued until our line Of battle was
formed and pushed forward. The
fire on both sides then increased, and
artillery was brought into requisition
on both siles.
The engagement then began in
tarncsi. Ames' division formed on
Wriizrrs left, and then came Turner
and Terry's divisions, although the
right was but little engaged. From
lhe first our men steadily drove back
| lhe rebel lines aud inflicted heavy
loss upon them, and Suffered greatly
themselves. The enemy vigorously
sLelled our lines and the pike up
which our troops were advancing and
were replied 70 hy some Of our rifle
guns. lhe enemy continued to be
driven back by Weiizel and Amrs
until At nighttall they had fallen back
10 their batteries across the ere k.---
4 The fighting OF our men throughout
was excellent. Many regiments had
never been in action before, but they
went III with all the dash and steadi.
ness Of veterans. The nature OF the
ground over which the engagement
was fought prevented any great los
ofIiie.
| The enemy. .eryed about eight
pieces Of artillery, using rifle and
smooth bore guns, aud making some
very good prlctiee. Our guns were
well served, and at times nearly ST.
fenced the rebel batteries.
! AT night strong pickets were
thrown out. and the soldiers, wearied
with the marches aud labors of the
day, and exhausted by the terrible
heat that struck down so many during
| the day, bivouacked in the weeds in
line OF battle, and are now quietly
sleeping. The intense rays OF the
sun occasioned the death of at least a
dozen persons, and used up forty oi
! fifty others. The weather was more
like August weather in New YorE
than spring day in Virginia.
To morrow morning the engage.
ment will doubil, s. be resumed on I
more extensive scale. The affair TO
day was only a preliminary shirmi.l
before the great fight, although The
mu,ketry fire to-day was at times ex
ceedingly heavy.
HEADQUARTERS. TESTB ARNY CoKrs I
Is the FIgLD. May 10, 1864.
TmK pEsoxsTRAnoS AGAINST PETEEsBurG.
Our demonstration against Peters
burg has been successful. II hel(
back a large rebel force en- route L
IRE at 4 time when they might have
effected a Junction with the rebel ar.
my, and at the same time ii gave o.
an opportunity to destroy with NOR,
completeness The railroad from Pc
iersburg 10 Richmond
Lasi night the rebels made a mid
Night attack on cur front, on The Pc
lersburg turnpike, either with a vie .
of taking a section OF the Fifth New
Jersey artillery, or Of feeling ih'
strength Of our piekeis, and whether
We bad xilhdrawn our main column
and lei The field only with a smal
thin veil of skirmishers 10 cover oul
departure from their notice, What
ever the cause may have been foi