Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1864-05-20

of the army, but up to the time write but little
has transpired of moment beyond desperate fight
between the old First Army corps, now attached
to Warren corps, and portion of the rebel army
who attempted to check our advance near Todd 5
Tavern.
A full account of the fighting has been forward
ed to you and it is only necessary for me to allude
to il in this connection. In the morning Generals
Grant and Meade established their headquarters
at Piney Branch about two and half miles from
Charlottesville on the Todd S Tavern road A
party of twenty-five hundred rebel prisoners, cap
tured within the past few days, passed head-quar
tiers this morning, among them several rebel Cap
tains and two Colonels.
The weather to-day is intensely hot, and the SOL
diers In their onward career, suffered greatly from
the intense heat As division after division fled
over the various roads ON their way to Spottsylva
MIA Court House, every stream, small creek and
pool of water was eagerly sought after By the tired
soldiers, when, after filling their canteens with
muddy water and applying them to their parched
| lips, they would proceed on the way TO Richmond
| AT three 0 clock in the afternoon an order was
given to prepare to move and at about four 0 clock
Generals GRANT and MEADE left Piney Branch
and proceeded over the hills in an easterly direc-
| tion and taking turn through the woods to the
right, selected spot about two miles distant as a
base of operations for Mondays work.
| About fveo clock the train attached to General
Headquarters left and just at dusk the newly Sc
leeted headquarters were fully established.
| detachment of four companies of Massachu-
setts cavalry went out In the morning on a recon-
noitring expedition towards the Rapidan. They
returned in the afternoon with three empty sad
dies, having had small skirmigh with some Reb-
| el cavalry "a few miles out.
The twenty-five hundred Rebel prisoners alluded
to are quartered directly in the rear of GRANT 5
| headquarters, and surrounded by small guard.
They are, to say the least comfortably clad Nearly
every has good shoes, and they really look Ike
good fighting stock.
| A Union desc rter who had gone over to the
| Rebels on owo occasions, was taken this morning.
and will be tried bycourt-martal, and if found gull
| ty will be hung without delay,
Weare anxiously awaiting the development Of
| the morrow, and the general impression is that II
great battle will take place, athoughit is not inn
probable the greater portion of the day will be taken
up in manoeuvring for positions.
We are entirely cut aft from all communication
with the North byany means ofconveyance,
and one of the greatest trials ofthe newspaper or
respondents is to devise means of getting matter
1 through to their respective papers 1t is a matter
involving great personal risk, as the country be-
| tween us and the nearest point North that COM
muncates direct to Washington is infested with
Rebel guerrilas Several messengers have gone
through, or started to go through, with despatch
! es to The INQUIRER, but we are rs yet in doubt
| wheather any of them reached their point Of des-
| tination.
| sKIRMIsHEs ON MONDAY, FIFTH DAY.
SPoTTsYLvANTA COURTHOUSE, VA.,l
TUESDAY, May 10, 1864.
From the " 7. Times.
The military situation at this hour TUESDAY,
| y NJ finds the line of the army drawn around
Spottsylyania Courthouse in the arc of q circle,
the concave towards u.s. The enemy is IN force al
that point, and seems determined 10 dispute the
passage. I mentioned in my letter of yesterday
that the two armies a race from the Wilder
ness for Spottsylvania, but unfortunately the enc
my won the race. This should not be interpreted
as conveying any censure on the army OF the Poto
mac which has marched with new inspiration
and rapidity never before seen III its history
But the very necessities of our condition as the
invading party, with our old base abandoned and {
new one not yet opened obliges us TO take I'M
mense trains, which, of course, retard the genera
movement of the army the rebels constantly fall
ing back on their base, and favored by their very
poverty, can beat us ON an equal start. 1t would
! certainly have been great point gained had we
been able to make Spottsylvania Court-House il
advance ofthe enemy An inspection of the map
will show you thatt is animportant strategic point
being the point of divergence OF the roads leading
southwark both to the right and left The enemy
command of it enables him to cover the withdraw
al of his trains and at the same time bars fur
, ther advance, unless on the condition OF an as
sault-which in the country in which we now
hghtlng, Hvery destructive OF hfe-or OF turn
ing movement.
About O. clock last evening, Gen. HANCOCK
holding the right of our line, crossed Pc Creel
! and seized the Block House Road, the direct lin,
from Parker Store to Spottsylvania Court House
, Immediately afterward, WARREN who now bas
center, advanced his line of battle, drove the reb
E els for half mile and took up strong position
Up to the present hour, the situation remains as
here described
The rebels have as yet shown no disposition 4
assume the offensive at this point. 1t was conf
IDENTIFY expected on Sunday night that an attacl
would take place on HANCOCK S front, toward th
, Catharpen Road, and on a line with the Rocl
Road The troops showed great diligence il
Continued on second pGge.)
! Dispatches from Cairo, dated Friday state tha
| A Union train of TIVE hundred and forty wagons