Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-09-02

Toss of the enemy the last too Wseks at len THOUSAND
| killed and VoWNded
I'VE Lave Loot heavily but ours has been mostly
captured when the enemy gained temporary sdvsu-
| tage.
has not yet been reported"
General Cant makes the Glowing report Of 40 I'll.
successful attack by the enemy on General Buffers
| picket line on fhurdy:
yesterday (rnun d ~ moruipg the enemy drove III
Gen Buffers picket lna. The picket gaasd soon raj
lied, however, and drove the enemy back and fess;at
Eshed their line.
fourteen missing On our side Ffy-nine enlisted men
Wtr, captured IRON the enemy. What their cssuatbs
wero il killed ard wounded We do not know"
(Sgne6) EDWIN N. STAETos,
Secretary vi War.
PRESS ACCOUNTS AND COMMENTS.
The following are the press accounts aud comments
ON the 6ght Al Rsams Sat Oh. IL Is smusiog 70 ace
how reluctantly III, msndsc Qua scTibblers drain the
bitter dregs OF defeat puder such Alurpg headcgs,
sour forces retire." "the overwhelming numbers OF The
enemy drove US from intrencbmsnts" I'VE had iu-
tended before 70 abandon this position" &c. IL. II is
both gall and NORWOOD to them:
PoRr MosRos, Aug. 2s.-The following additional
particulars o the great hgh the Weldon R llroAi
Ia from an eye witness The 6ght Jm nencsd Oh
Thursday by Colonel S4ml r. Spears llth PsnEsJlS
mia cavalry mskiI dsshing charge on the rebel sd
vance, Tle rebels IN turn charged him. Then DO
forces drew Oh for final charge, the rebels commence
leg the charge. Bat no sooner bad they made
their moVemsnt known, than Colonel Spear,
Who waiting thoir advance, gave the order
for canister charge, and With yell both forces inst
Our troops too much for the Rebels. Charging
upoa thei h,nk We broke their lines a1d captured
three hundred prisoner The cavalry now fell oack 10
give Hanco skis GU. chance. Ga came the enemy
fully confident, apparently, of capturing Hancock
position which lay tlDng the railroad, occupied BY two
divisions of the Second Corps with twenty two guns 10
position. They came rapidly onward charging up
close works, but they new me. reception which
proved most bloody to them, and they fell back to try
l. agsn and again, only to meet the sams bloody
cepdoo.
Hare ck's gallant troops REQ lived four successive
charges from the enemy, bu sa,h time successfully
pulsed them With fearful Slaughter.
General Hancock now opened his centre with tho
view of tripping his eager foes but IN his hurry to re-
I've them properly, be was unable to bring eight OF
bis guns TO the rear which thus accidentally fell iGto
their possession. NV the Rebels came rushing up cup
posing that rereating, but coon found their
mistake by discovering Hsooocks forces their hAnls
Toe entire RebF force nov broke aud raa, uoop4
following them and saughtsring IN I'm feafIy Thus
ended Of the bess executed fights around Peters
burg.
With ouly two divisions Hancock not oily held us
position but whipped the Rebels badly, The number
Of their dead lying the field clearly proves. Oar
butyiug party estimated the number OF their dad at
three thOusand Mort Of their wounded we're removed
and mus, 10 dsubt, have bssn very heavy
cur Fososs RETIRE.
About s p. N. we commenced retiring, ulioh We az
compshed without moestation. Nothing lost in aban
donng position, not shot being fred Dy the en-
envy. We src ID 10 nothing by abandoning ths posi-
ton, except perhaps, the destruction OF few mile;
more Of the railroad aud when detached situation
and the force the enemy brought against Us, ara
A.
have peen for time oveTpowered. Tae number Of
men opposed 10 is estimlted at from fifteen to
teeu thousand. End comprising Heths and WiloU1s
division, of Hills corps, aud FsdS division, with two
o'hsr brgadss OF Aadersoa's, formerly L,ngstreeis
corps.
ousnumbered two TO one for the OF the two di
visions We had there were so * lausted by lighting
hard marching aud their lsboriou work he railroad
that their eff. ctivs slreng had been very materially
'educed TIE enemy will very naturally pque them
Oh the capt re OF our breas"Orks end ar lery bat II
they be allowed TO claim victory, il Is Of kind that
they may pray to bs excused from experiencing too
u qusntly
COMMENTS OF THE PRKss
The following 10 from The New York Ti7bgs Of Tho
2s.h;
TIE asEAF FIsHr ON THURSDAY.
Especial Despatch to ne NeW York Tri6uas
WAsaIssroS, Aug. 2s.-IoioImaton Received from
reliable sources regarding the attack on Hanoocks
oorts Thursday, reasonably lead to The following 10
feIences;
Frst-That the enemy vas successful after repeated
apd mpetuous ss,aulls in compelling the abandonment
by ouffOrces OF the railroad below Rssms' Station.
S5oond-That although attacking in vastly superior
Dumbers he received bloody repdlse IN tSrse success
sive instances.
Tsrd-Tha. his loss in killed sna WON led must have
exceeded by tsee the number sud that fusly, by
an overwhelming force, be succeeded 10 forcing us
back from in renchments on the other side oil the
"a lroa9 below the ststiOn-s position which ne had al
ready decided 20 abandon.
We fuly ace. mplshed the sp.Cis object In view,
VIZ the destruct Of the track three mee below tie
station, although our withdrawal from out intrenct.
,ns vas somswhst fastened by the attack Of the
enemy L. Is butnaursl to conclude, from trustworthy
statements that tee severity OF the blow Ia oed upon
TIE enemy did begin to compensate him for the
posst alion OF few miles Of railroad embodiment
The struggle was a short but sharp one. 0Jerpow.
cred by numbers fell back across the railroad, eay.
ing the enemy in possession OF our ntrenohmsnte
Reforming lines in the woods behind the railroad
We again advanced upon the enemy, who had eiresdy
occupied the railroad, an pouring In upon biz Xxx
and rear well drec ed fire, comE elsd him to retire
behind the works which NO had but short lima before
| evacuated.
Our tr Jops Nsfe QUE y wi hifa=n at dark, without
N Iests ion Oar lose will probably exceed 900; that
o. the ensDy az Leaf double the pumeeF. Eight guns
we're captured by the enemy
Ia attempting 10 whdraS OlsFks Battery, 5tsionsa
90 our f,. mess OF the sElleFymen aud horses "s5o
shot
The All New York Artillery g4lAnlly rallied iou ii
the gus and u-ned them up)a toe advancing ias sea
OF the enemy, but unable TO them, losing Ia
the attempt seventeen tfhcsIs rni large number Of
| the men.
From ths.. Washington s:ar)
Il SCENE that Hancocks With dIaWsi Oh che night OF
the bit was 10 aocO aucs with praviOu orders from
Genera Gran, aud Wss NOT compulsory Ircn lbe rebels
Hancock had bean ordered, after executing the Sok
e de, uction OF the railroad asigu.d 20 him, TO fa
| back on The b corps In the meantime ihe rebels
m de their attack and after the lighting OF hs dsJ
q ,ncock carried Gu: the orJer to fall back.
IepOr,ed by the boat this morning. thai We lose
eight guns and that these est IN cJnst suenoe
o. the sudden la of rain rsndatiag Il Impossible GO