The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-05-19

IRON orR OWN CORRESPONDENT |
ARMY or NORTHERN VIRGINIA.

Ny last letter " you bears date of Sunday, the
eth A. that time wrote you from Orange cour,
House. About 4 p NJ left that point, following
up Gen Lee, who was moving closely In the rca,
OF Gen Grant. From that time until tais 1 have
been unrsmittingiy active, and now propose to
give you q brief sketch Of the movements and
doinss Of the two armies during that period.
Saturday night, just amer dark, the enemy began
moving their columns down the plank turnpike end
Catharpin roads towards Fredesicksburs. When
they reached Tabernacle Church, about six miles
above Fredericksburg, they seht body OF their
force, said to be two regiments to take possession
Of the town, throw down pontoons, and bcgIn the
work of putting the railway In running order be-
tween Fredericksburg and Aqua Creek. The
head of their column, on reaching Tabernacle
Church, turned to the right, and began moving on
and towards spoisyivanla Court House. Dailns
Saturday night Gen Lee discovered that move
ment was on foot, and supposing 1t might be
Grants purpose to turn bis fank, he sent forward
portion OF L0nss.reet's forces, who began 10
move about A NJ of Sunday mornins. About 10
O'clock Gen Lee advanced ski,Inlshefs along the
rnsny,s ehtile lines OF The Wilderness. ani found
heir breastworks abandoned ana taeir rear pro
tected by Il rear guard of cavalry. Oar tnrces wesc
,apitly from the turnpike ana pans roads OF to
wards the Ca,hs.pla road, BY which our whole lima
passed on towards .;poisyivanis Court House.
Early In the murning of ;nis day Sunday Fnz
Lee with his cavalry division, had engaged them,
and was fighting them with unsurpassed bravery
and desperate eaEnesthess, and was being forced
back by much superior numbers o; the enemy in
fanuy AZ they were retiring upon Spotsylvaaia
Court House, and whilst engaging in desperate
fight with tue 5ih Yankee corps, Hoffufd's and
Bryan's bgi1ades, of nc! aws's division, hav.aa
eppo,luaely arrived, engaged ,he enemy In fraa ot
Epotsyivsn,a Cour. House, and hsfsh2@'s south
Carolina brigade and EImphr-ys's -ississippi D.i
gade came Ia up0n ihe faok ut ,aa.r c0.umn. Z Sc
we're fight eusuod, lasting two GGufS The iesui.
was ,.Iat the enemy wese driven completely back,
wish immense slaughter, willis, our loss was coIa.
payatyrly slight. Again later in the day JcIaigs's
division having thrown up line CT b.eas.Eo orEs,
the enemy advanced uppa them N heavy force, bi;
were repuised .sith great slaughter, C en Il. ssm.
ting that he kiiiei.aa s,0aaied twenty 10. one -
Daring ihis nght The eneu,y managed al one time
T. fians US, aGd SO ab0ut Two bundled ot Han,
phrey's Mississippi b1Sade 1ouud mae Ives w,tn
in the easmy's iiaes, they did not, however, 81.
RENDER hit pu shed rapidly snd bid II ,.i5avea
in a ihicket Here they found RI of the an Va
cavslfy. That sigat they oTsaaiz d an army on u
small scale, threw 0nt their cavalry scouts, aud
having asceI,ained the enemy's position, a INK -
il, ani came Into camp about day dayish. Monday
noraiag.
During sunday evening the enemy also attacke
Rodes, aud were tssaa back gaoei handsomely
Soihing else of Interest occurred on Sunday.
On Monday both sides nan0lveYed for position
all day, and some heavy skirmishirg occurrei.--
Both sides were unfeInittlngly active. Towards
night 1t was whispered In camp, aud soon turned
out to be true, that the Yankee cavalry, number
Ing about three thousand strong, had passed onnd
ou. right nank, and were moving upon the Cenira
railway. Stuart at once detached sufficient force
and sent them In pursuit. With what success he
has pursued them you doubtless know more than
90. Towards night warm fight ensued near The
4 ~ lo-
aud ihe resuits uninpotant. All day Monday our
pioneer corps was busy at work, and at night Gas
position was believed TO be one Of srea, strength
Early yesterday morning II was ascertainsd tia!
the enemy were moving around on our lcf. flaGk,
as If TO seize the road leading 10 Louisa Il Just
before day Gen Early, WHO was IL command Of 4
HIll's corps, moved te meet the enemy, taking
with him Heth's division. He engaged the enemy
on or near the Louisa C H road. The enemy were IL
heavy force. Our men drove them back from three
iinea of quite formidable breastwOiks, capturing
three lines of breastworks one gun and one caisson
aud about oae hundred and 6ly prisoners Including
some OF their wounded. We would have cap
tured more OF thek guns and more prisoners, bct
for the fact that the enemy set Ee TO the waods In
front Of them, and so 1t was Impossible TO, our
troops to move upon The enemy. In this engage
usnt we drove the enemy back some nve miles
! During the day the enemy in front Of Fieds's
division, who occupied nearly the ceutre Of our
itne attacked us at least twelve different times
but weIe as often repulsed And just before night
the enemy charged up 70 and for while carried
the breastworks in front OF Anderson's Georgia
and Robertson's Texas hrigades, but our men ra.
He'd, willis. McCarthy's company OF Richmond
HOwitzers pouredfiut0 them a. most destructive
ere OF grape and canister, which compelled them
to retire.
About the same time the enemy advanced on ou,
leh, and made most vigorous and determined rs
sauit upon the lhe Of ROd.s's division, and espe-
caily upon that part OF the line coupled by Doess
ana Daniei's brtgades. Such was the vim with
which the assault wac made thai tha en- EN-; cam
peeled these brigades 10 giv0 back, and for while
less than SIX pieces Of artillery fell into their
hands. Finaliy, however, Gordon's Georgia,
yohps0n's North Carolina, and tho Stonewail brt-
sades came to the assistance Of Do!ee ani Daniel,
and 90 Ycpuised the enemy. Both sides are said TO
have lost heavily In this conflict. The enemy
took some Of our men prisoners Beyond this
iines besides skirmshlns, and considerable artil-
iery fixing on all parts Of the line.
To day, up TO this writing, nothing Of special
moment has occurred. There have been sone
discharges Of artillery to-day, but II was proilc OF
no results Both sides are doubtless quite jaded,
and very willing 10 take day Of rest.
Our loss thus far Ia comparatively small. 1t is
believed that ten th0uSaHd will cover everything
killed, wounded, und missing The impression
in cur lines Is general that the enemy thus
far have had not man less than thirty tannsd ri
placed h0rS du oo,Ntat, while some put the figures
~ high as forty hossand. A scout who was In
rred.ricksbu on Sunday night reports that the
enemy then had some fifteen Thousand wounded
In the town, and hal taken every available
building iuf hospital purposes. He iso states thai
the enemy had then three pont0ons over the Rap
pahannock, aud were lastly constructing the
bridges over Potomac ard Aec"keet creeaa, ih
Stafford couaty, aud Gvss the river at FsederieAs
burg.
As conhrmalory of the severe lassea which The
enemy has sustained, viii mention that Ewen
buried two thousand dead Yankees In float OF hts
Tine of battle Al the Wilderness. rhis, be IL re :
membefej, was 0nlv Ia font OF one cofas, and
does not tnciude the ass Ia fton, Of LONGS and
P Hill.
We captured an Immense number Of arms at the
Wilderness battle field land the enemy LEFT the
trenches slTewn with arms, clothing, aaA all man
ner Of camp deus, showing that they left that bat
lie field in good deal Of haste
"A Number Of the prisoners captured by us con
cur IN the statement that Meade, al Grants su2aes
ti0n, had issaed General Order Informing the
tfosps Of the capture of Richmond, aud thanking
derness battle ground. All Of the prisoners fur
ter stats that Grant has resolved TO capture Rich
nOud and fer thia purpose expects to eight sixty
days befare accomplishing bis object
fosgos 20 meDilon that Brig Gen II 4 walker
was yesterday evening wounded in the foot. 30 a.
70 r qnise its smpusaiion. Brig Gen II II Hayes Of
Louisiana, wis also wounded yesterday In the leg
severely. mol dangerously.
During these tights Maj Hamilton, Chief Com
nssasy Of Firlds's DIVISION, was Killed, aud uapt
Fonsaine Rarksdals, OuArtsFmasier OF 18Th Mis-
sissippi regiment, Humparcys's brigade, whilst gal
iantiy aehiing In the ranks with his musket, was
shot and Instantly killed. And yesterday, IN stsl-
Ing the hospitals of McLaws's division, came
Who was wounded on Monday whtlst ont oa =
tour OF observation On the ftoat itus VI picket.
Tb6 easny duhng thts esmpaiep now tsseine
eight days, have szhibitad lEest ae!vs and deteI.
tefmisallow 0f puspoes. aad hass fought u most
sssss. ~, ~ go Ssss - "a "a yisesoss,
~ havlne 49, LIT eyonpe ~ - lnye ~ Ne
oEau1a1to oo11qheuD0 oe o1oytn4 ~ n1moee oS