Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1864-05-27
A SEVERE FIGHT ON WEDNESDAY.
Especial Dispatch to the n Y. Tribune. !
WASHINGTON, Thursday, May, 10, |

II 0P. M.
Your correspondent Beta sends the follow
/ ing, dated headquarters Army of the Potomac,
| May IS II P. NJ:
! Since forwarding my first despatch this morning
the desultory skirmish firing which commenced at
! daybreak has grown into very considerable bait
| tie. The enemy discovering our change of posi-
tion last night, and taking advantage of the same,
were found to have massed all their strength on
our right designing, no doubt one more desperate
| assault to break our lines and get torough to our
supply trains.
| This movement of the foe of course OCCASION
/ ed re-occupation of our position of yesterday
morning, and it was here upon our extreme right,
and with the Second and Sixth corps, that the
struggle has been kept up with more or less sever
| ity up to noon to-day. Our troops were advanced
within very close range of their earthworks, when
a murderous artillery fire was opened upon us,
occasioning us considerable loss but our own guns
| were soon got into position, and. under cover of
their fire. we charged and took their first line of
riae-pits, capturing aconsiderbae number OF pris-
onerS and several of their guns.
At the moment of this present writing there is
cessation Of firing along the lines, and the indi-
cations are that there will be no more fighting be
fore evening or tomorrow. 1t Is estimated that
| the rebel less is considerably greater than ours
Notwithstanding the momentary advantage Of
their artillery range upon US,
| The Vermont heavy artillery Just arrived par
toipated in this fight, and is highly eompmented.
Il IS stated that the decisive battle is not unlikely
TO be fought right here, and that within few days
| at the furthest
| OF the casualties, the report comes in that
| Lieut.. Bartlett, 10th Massachusetts, is killed
| Capt. Bigelow and Pierce and Iieuts. Cohe and
/ Whitney OF the same regiment, wounded Adjutant
| Dean, 7th Massachusetts, wounded These men
| were Of Gen, Estee 9TH Brigade of the I'd divis-
| ion, Sixth Corps, and we're in the charge,
a IF Hoe bolt,s
four miles out from Fredericksburg, on the road
to the front, this afternoon, and fired on party
| of our men while at the well One of our men
was killed, and three wounded, when our boys raj
| lied, charged upon the murderers, killing two,
wounded three and then burnt the building
Guerrilla warfare is fast becoming an improbable
mode ofwarfare hereabout.
WASHINGTON, May 23-1. 85 P. M-To Maj. Gen.
DIX, New York.-Despatches from Major General
CANBY, dated at the mouth of Red River at midnight
May 18TH state that Admiral PORTER has Just arrived
and that the remainder Of the gun-boats will arrive
tonight General BANKS viii propaby reach Sem
mesport, the Atchafalaya, tomorrow. des-
patch from Admiral PoRTER dated on board his flag
ship Bt1ck Hock, at the mouth of Red River, May
10th, states that the portion of the squadron above
the Falls at Alexandria have been released from their
unpleasant position owing to the interchangeable exer-
tons of ofLieutenant Colonel BAILEY, Acting Engineer
of the Nineteenth Army Corps, who proposed and
built dam Of SIX hundred feet across the river
at the Lowry Falls, which enabled all the vessels to
pass in safety the back water the Mississippi reach
ing Alexandria and allowed them to pass over all the
shoals andthe distractions planted by the enemy to
point of safety
Lieutenant Colonel BAILEY viii be Immediately
nominated for promotion for distinguished and me-
ritorious service
An unofficial report from Cairo, dated May 22d
states that the army and all safe at the
mouth of the Red River and at Semmesport.
81 hatS 81
NJ last night reports that he viii be ready by morn
ing to resume his operations. Returned veterans and
regiments, he says have than replaced all loss
es and detachments
We have no official reports since my last telegram
from General GRASr or General BgrI.ER.