The New York herald., 1864-10-07

fell back fror tho scene OF SATURDAYS dght during tn.
lines fow hundred yards HIS piokets at one time
occupied the ho,ses of Dr. B0sseau and Mr.. Ososl
Pssram, one ms distant from Peebss' farm, but were
sbeiei ou, by our arti cry.
The s''uaten Sun ay evening remainsd unchanged with
this exception.
The 2aukes sunday took a portion OF our picket line
pesr " DAVIS use, three quar- ters Of . mic west
o. ina weldon Railroad, Capturing twenty prisoners In
we s'efnoon they we're driven back and our line 70
I,formsiion was received Sunday that on Saturday
nlsnt tram Of artillery was crossed on the pontoon
bridges from the north the south side of the James
bcen ossed
Our losses during the last tn 90 days Aghtinr In this
vicinity VIII not exceed I've hundred from all causes
wss surprisingly small On the other hand, the Yankee
icss ~ kno.n to have been large but little less, any,
than nvS thousand, including prisoners.
strong Fedorai Force at signal Hill
and Fort harrisOn.
lFrom the Richmond Examiner, Oct.
Attention is s concentrated on the lines near Chat
n0e nut tnere IL nothing " moment 70 report II be
eyod mat Grant has c,rred portion OF hts troops back
To tie Southside Tut strong force remsns In tbs neigh
oorho o. Signal Hill and Fort Harrison, No lighting
has occurred sine our last ssue Both working and
both throw occasional shells the working parties.
That vas the cannonadiag hoard in the city yesterday
The Yankees are Strengthening Battery Harrison, the
Conieder ties having Strengthened their lines 70
leave Battery Harrison entirely out Of their system Of
fcrtincations Is the general opinion that the Yankees
about to operations base
which will shortly be gained by The completion OF their
oana aud w endeavor 10 Dig up 10 the oiy from that
direction.
There have been reports OF fighting near Petersburg
Sunday evening, but wscould got no continuation OF
the report either rom the War Department private
We believe that thero has been nothing done
tbore the Weldon road either Sunday Monday
beyond the usual Smelling and sharpshootin,.
The enemy declare sharpshootius to be barbarous
that II ought to he stopped The reason In that our
Many cases Of officers "shot 10 tho eyer have disgust
ed the Yankee with what was once Grants favorite
tac,ios.
The Yankees lost five Thousand killed. wounded and
prisoners in tho fighting of the 30h aud LIST Peters
burg. Our loss was less than six hundred
Opir ions OF tho fsic nj ond Press.
from the Richmond Examiner, oct A..
crn side Of the james as sudden had long been mys
terously hinted by the press Of New York that plan
capture OF Richmond. Never did mountain 10 labor
bring forth such did not reach the dignity Of
absolute failure. Instead Of Richmond, the enemy got
Cbans farm, the third line OF the fortiaca
tops around Richmond. Il In wise essential to the
because s was strong and inviting position in the neigh
borhood There is doubt about its natural strength
Three or four hundred men. with cannon could easily
hold II against several thousand provided always that
they Lees veteraps-men who accustomed TO
battle, and not troops whose whole military education
consisted In the evoutions OF the parade ground or the
garrison.
Even beyond Battery Harrison We learn there was
Ii ne OF slent deeuce1 held by two hundred aud dfy
men, stretching across the country from Signal Hin
New Market On Thursday morning, the enemy having
brought soms twenty I'VE or thirty thousand mcu,
deed intended, that this small number OF men
should Withstand such an advance They rereated on
rapidly up Battery Harrison Had the roops In that
battery, even though they were only three hundred,
would never have been lost, aud many gallant life
away 10 unavaing attempt 10 retake Il would
have been saved we regret ina, s
that the duty was performed. Some superior officers
md thirty or forty men who had retre''ed tire. TO
toned fought as we'll az they could when sban-
doned by the but compelled to retire after
most or the officers had been wounded or had their
hoyses shot The whose business Il TO hold the
place having disappeared the battery and several
eD.my The '.s s,ssung column did not halt the next
attack made . small redan, without name, be-
Fort G%sr and nc Tss ATTACK
more Important pont--to Fort Gilmer-cose Chaln's
farm. II delivered with energy, met with FIRM
ness, result bloody repulec OF the enemy.
The loss on our side little nothing, As men
column 10 five hundred dead bodies the ned after
taking OF their wounded Twenty-Five were killed In the
moa Or dcn Of the fort THIS IeDuso put conclusion s
exception OF two attempts 70 turn our works
on the cas-. BY ooiumns Of, q csvary Perhaps APP
nfcatiops were only Quaker. Il 80 he was abuudantly
furoished with proof OF his mistake on Friday by the
shells which fell IN his track wherever he moved But
important steps were not taken side. Battery
Harrison though not necessary TO the defence OF the
ne ghboring lnes was ioss too mortiiymg left
without a struggle redeem IT, Tho troops In the
neehborhood hastily concentrated, and on Friday
wo attempts were made 10 recover the post, The con-
aurst,on q, tha .ou enabled our column TO ADVANCE
within hundred yards tbout much exposure and
strong hopes we're enteriain.d Of success But both
assaults failed The first II said to have been baulk
blunder upon all Sides end was In fact no assault at ALL
the did not under fire. The second attempt
t,me, pnd consequent want or concert between The
column aud It's supports. bnl We snspec, 'nas
tho immense d,spropor,tn of numbers on the
ground. Our loss small, though larger than
what was stated in this paper the next day We
lace we that lines have been strengthened
leave ihe salient point Of which this battery was
the apex boyoud our works Strong Notifications
thrown up in the night lines, and sudden ad-
Of The enemy from that direction Is now believed
70 be rossible. Meantime the enemy himself
be oontept with the worthless ACQUISITION II In even
I'd that part OF The force which accomplished II
have cody returned TO the south side what must we
think of these eventsp s the movement from Dutch Gsp
Battery Harrison only repetition OF the stale trick so
often employed by Grant " weaken our lines around
when intending 1ercc assault on the Conede
lc The affirmative view is supported by tas fact
tn I be did actually mako an important movement
a fort there, which be stu holds, and pushed
forward heavy column for moro serious
purposes tn he was whipped by I'M and Hampios:
Bot we inclined to think that the present odgment
nd effort OF Grant the northern side Of the
James has lar more serious import. From the lesson
o. four months duration, which be has recsived at
Pc srsburg ne has probably learned that he
tako Richmond by that indirect aud complicated plan
wht he been pursuing, aud Is reasonable that he
should return 10 The shorter and direct road the
northern bank OF the James The road from utch Gap
"a thg city by Chains IA m Ia the only road on witch
tho enemy met with defeat " IL the only road
which ihey have left untted u fs the orly road On
which they gained 80 considerable success even as the
csnturs OF Rstery Harrison, II Is the shortest road TO
Richmond from thsir base shorter than that from
York sooner or later The enemy was sure 10 try
a There is the best 10 believe that he had
commenced the trial now The loss OF Battery
Harrison will be blessing TO us,
errment 10 the necessity of bringing rolniorcs
ents Richmond without delay and OF strenetherng
most competent and energetic officers lie would have
held sanal Hill and Hsrrisob II II we're possible; but
renera however allie ectve cannot ooptend against
t,,rty thousand men with ~ mgny hundred. IL cur
rcry reported hlt he Often warned he superofs ot the
of force in hst Qurter That MS waTniu "a
were unheeded is proven hy tne events n the asi hw
days But no fatal wound has bsen rfcled 80 tae de
feecs n. Richmond. Only ths future ia shown We re-
peat ID "a blessing rot isf0rlure, there ~ wisdom
here. Let trocps be brousht 10 NirSue Wthoai ceay,
nom anywhere Tor Virginia IL shs ptdsr u the con'ede
racy A ptesent The lnes secure But Their safety
oanuct Is lariy eft 70 lees preseut army whch has
"a InnA N