Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-08-15
THE NEWS

Our naval reverse st Mobile naturally made the oil
ors and men Of our James RIVER feet anxious to open
nc port holes of their monitors aud gunbOas5 ami hut
dssanee at any Yankee squldron aaOat. In Che ab-
ssncs of an opportunity to do this, however, Friday
evening thsy hasd With hnrrah the orders to weigh
anchor aad proeasd down the river for offensive opera
tons against Yankee land batteries, anything else
tha, mig6g turn up. 1, was not long after the reesp
ton Of tho above orders before it leaked Ous as
sush things usually do, tina. the object Of the eGpedi
tOn Was to shell the three Yankee brigades which
had landed At Dasoh Gap aud eommenosd throwing up
fof6estiOas end planting heavy gu0s if nOa as ru-
mOred, digging canal across the gap.
A. one o'clock Saturday morning, the Richmond,
Captain Maury, the Fredericksburg, Captain Roots,
1Olh irOr- ad- and the guuboats Hampton, outenant
hurdaugh, Nsnsenond, Ijeutenaat Hays and D:eWry,
Lieutenant WALL eft their mOOripgi b,ljW "OlEf 3"
aud proceeded quietly down the liver their LOstie
Mission. The iror-,lad VI mia, Captain Psgram,
lsclsd by the Com nOdlrs a. part Of Tie expedition,
unfortunately grounded and did not get of until nine
O'clock, when the Towns cane 70 her assistance, and
no doub;, much to the graHaoadon OF her commander,
dad in getting her la)at. She Immediately joined
her comrades hsloF, which we're already bsiskly en-
gazing the enemy.
Those Of vessels. which Pracss5ei the YFginil,
tOok position bsl1E the shop House, WherO hey were
in sasJ shellng distance tie fats o. Dd CD Gap
Inst bsore sevsl OelO K .tey ssu.5i the uaslspeerg
Yankees With a vOllsy Of sh,l and shot, The Yam
kes batteries as "Fds7ds' Immediately opened, and
from tie first coaosarled their entire Use upon the
Hampton, the Drswfy aud the NsnssmOnd this giving
our iuVuloerIb!e iroo-elEda tie cold shoulder. Our
n - ~ 60
let into the Yankees With vim, and soon convinced
them thai the Coniederas too, have laad batteries
along the James. The Yalkes gunboas discovering
that br,k work was going 90 above. came Up and
anchored eff DlCh p, and ends AYored 70 attract our
fire. ald thus sV5 their brethren share from the
uncomfortable position 10 which they une1pee e,ly
fOuld thsmlslVes pll,sd Ia this they doubt par
tally snccsedsd because every shot fred At them Wss
ons diverted from thoss On land
The firing is usually the case. became hotter and
hotter as the morning advanced, aud Commodore
Mitchell psreeiVing that the entire Yankee ere d.
rscNd a. the three gunbo2s-ths shells bucsing over
ard all arOupd them, yet, strange 70 say, doing th6m
No dAmage-Wisey ordered them to leave the iron
cads and pressed to the rear. As they retired the
Yankees gave them parting ssuse did they ceafe
uns they were entirely Ous Of range Of hsr guns In
the aGenoOu when Left the point at which We had
bs,n stationed during the morAing, and proceeded to
the Beaufort, below Chsiia's, We found that the
Hampton bad returned to the acsls Of operators.
A; the time Of our re UNI O'olOck-6sng was still
audible at Grave yaid Bend, though net heavy as
du-ng tis forenoon.
Up TO tha. time had driven the Yankees from that
por1ol Of Dutch Gap near the river.
- H.
lsf stated that We lost a. our nl batteries killed
ald I've wounded. A telegram to Ohafin's Buzz re-
csivsd lst before, estimated lose The plICe
a. nOas killed and 81 wounded.
In Our aest there Casualties galAr to say,
tllug1 shells fell thick and fast.
Il was thought ffom every indication that sse Yam
kess at Friends we're less ior,unateWds the fact that
part Of the land forces at Dutch Gap found the ire too
warm for them aud we're forced to fall back, warrants
the conclusion that they suG5rsd-and is hardly
unchFis.isn to hOpe-ssyerely.
From sailor who participated in the engagement and
left at o'clock Afer the 6rrg had ceased, learn
that two shots through the smokescS of the Feeder
ieksburg constituted thu entire damage done YES
sells. He informs Us that We had none killed or
Wouaded.
Hssvy 6rTg Tss plainly heard in the city during
yesterday tsruoOB, and We take is for granted that
Com. Mitchell has resumed the good work. Surely if
the Yankees Can sfsrd TO shell Sumter for four hun
bred days, We can devote at least few dlys Datch
Gap.
ERoN PErER BJRG.
Toe Express Of Saturday says "a walk 10 the front
yesterday revealed nohrg whatever Of special interest
to the public There bat very tLle sharpshoosing
a. any point on the lines and the mortar Smelling Was
very raFs.n
On Thursday evening our forces opened With Ga
FOUNDERS upon large bodies Of Yankee infantry moving
20 the rear and caused them not stand upon the
der Of their going, so that they got away quickly.
The Court Of Inquiry which assembled At City Point
TO selee. from the herd of Yankee generals scaps-
goat DC sacri6oia Cfarng for their reverse al "th'
Crater" decided that it, appointment is Illegal, and
therefore adjourned.
Meade, isis said persists in his intention Of pTeferring
charges against Burnside.
By the explosion a. City Point. over ono hundred
white and black YANKEES we're killed. The Yankees
describe it as more terrific than the explosion Of the
mine in front Of Petersburg
The Express learns, through advces from the enc
mys rear, that HrWsoD, ons Of the Sanitary OOmmis
soners who was wounded on board the supply steamer
D. A. BroWn, on James river by rebel gperrilas las
Thursday week, has SINE died from bis Injuries.
The enemy, for come reason, have ceased TO She
Petersburg.
TRoN Trans MISSISSIPPI
A private letter from an officer Of Pieces army, a
Camden, ArEansss says General joe Shelby has tire
or lou thousand cavalry and is occupying Clarendon
White river. General Figan Is the Arkansas river
below Pine Buff, With several thousand eaVsly ard in
f,n,,v The Yankees stil hold Lizzie R ,ck, Pine Bua
a,d Duy,lPs Bluff. TIE army is rapidly increasing il
hunters, and guns are much needed. We rather thu
/, Prices intention TO get Ms Yankees out OF the A
kalsas valley before be crosses the line.
MILITARY cEANaRs
NJ; o., M.yrv Of Mobile, has been ordered 10 tax