The Portland daily press., 1864-10-11

Thomas, Sheridan and Bur6ridge.
--.,--.----a--W WAR DEPARTMENT.
Washington, October 10Th, 1854.
ia Moi. Gen. Dir:-Reports have been re-
ca;ved by this Department from Gems. Butler,
Ssarman. Thomas, Sheridan and Burbridge,
snouing The favorable condition OF military
Glars IN their respective fields OF operation.
''i Tho nuruose Of Gen. Grants visit to Wash
;n-,on having been accomplished, he returned
r. his headquarters on Saturday, but there has
boen no telegraphic communication since his
arrival there.
Nashville. Tenn, Oct Sth.-I have not heard
d;ract from Gen. Sherman, but Gen. Corse, at
Altoona. informs me that-Sherman Is at Aene-
90 a., repairing the railroad between Atianta
and Altoona. He has plenty OF provisions III
| Atlanta, and so far as the main arnly 10 Oon
cerned feels secure. s. 81 1910
Gen. Rosseau reports that Forrest has es-
caned him by crossing the Tennessee In nat
boats above and below Florence, on the 0ln
! inst. while he (Rosseau) was detained by nigh
water in Shoal Creek and Elk River.
GEO. I'll. THOMAS, Maj. Gen.
aJ,oonn. Ca, Oct. 9th, s A. MO Major
General Halleck, Chief of Staf:-l reached
the Kenesaw Mountain Oct 9th, just in time
tn witness at a distance the attack on Altoona.
had anticipated this attack, and had ordered
from Rome, Gen. Corse with rein'orcements.
The attack was made and repulsed, the enemy
losing some 200 dead and more than GOO
bounded and prisoners. Our loss was about
700 in the aggregate.
f. The enemy captured the small garrisons OF
Rio Shanty and Ackworth, aud burned about
seven miles of our railroad, but we have at
Altoona and Atlanta an abundance Of prison
ers.
Z Hood observing Onr approach, has moved
| rapidly back to DalIas and Van Vert. am
h irsr ir1fi In bA n
ton or Rome. 3saa ~.
Atlanta is perfectly secure to US, and this
army is better off than in camp.
,.4,-.-ssf rs w. T. SHERMAN, Maj. Gen.
Woodstock, Va, Oct It'll, 9 p. NJ To
Lieut.. Gen. U. S. Grant, have the honor to
report my command at this point tonight. L
commenced moving back from Port Republic,
Mount Crawford, Bridgewater and Harrison
/, burg yesterday morning. The grain aud for
age east OF these points had previously been
| destroyed.
In moving back to this point the whole coun-
try from Blue Ridge to the North Mountain
has been made untenable for rebel army.
have destroyed over 1000 barns filed with
wheat, hay and farming implements, over sew
enty mills filed with -four and wheat, have
driven in front of the army over four hundred
head of stock, and have killed and issued to
the troops not less than 5000 sheep. This
/ DESTRUCTION etlOfdceu llc d'ACy nAo
! Little Fort Valley, as well as the main valley.
A large number Of horses have been obtained,
a proper estimate of which cannot now mase.
4 Lieut.. ]. Il. Meigs, my engineer officer, was
wounded beyond Harrlsonburg, near Dayton.
| For this atrocious act all the houses within an
area Of five miles were burned. Since came
into the valley from Harper's Ferry, every
train, every small party, and every straggler
has been bush whacked by the people, many of
whom have protection papers from command
I ers who have hitherto been in that valley.
The people here are all getting sick of the
war. Heretofore they have had no reason to
complain, because they have been living in
great abundance. AAs tstSt
p / have not been followed by the enemy to
this point, with the exception of a small force
OF rebel cavalry that showed themselves some
distance behind my. rear guard.
! A party of 100 of the 9Th Ohio regiment OF
cavalry, which had stationed at the bridge
| over the North Shenandoah, near Mount Jack
son, was attacked by Mcneil, with seventeen
men, while they were asleep, and the whole
party dispersed or captured. think they
will all turn up. learn that fifty-six have
reached Winchester. Mcneil was mortally
wounded and fell into our hands. This was
fortunate, as he was the most daring and dan
gerous of all the bushwhackers in this section
Of the country. f-5letf5 srs
4. Ii. kSdEhlDAN, adJ OSu'
Gen. Burbridge makes the following report
of his operations:
CGstleburg, KY, Oct. Sth, 10 Il. Mo
Hon. E. NJ. Stanton Forcing the enemy from
Church Mountain and Laurel Gap after heavy
diminishing, we met the enemy three and one
half miles from Saltville, on the morning of
the I'd inst, and drove him to his works
around the saltworks, where he was strongly
entrenched in the bluff in heavy force, under
Echols, Williams, Vaughan. and, i Is said,
RrecLir~idso We 90 ~i,So ottackeu MN al u
drove him from his works on our left and CEN
ire, and held him in check on the right, and
finally, in spite of artillery and superior num-
bers, whipped him at every point, and forced
him back to his own works. 6
In the evening our ammunition gave out
and holding the position taken until night, |
Withdrew the command in excellent order and
Spirits The occupation of the works them
se.ves was only prevented by the failure Of
our ammunition.
learn the enemy's force was from 5000 to
5000, and that Breckenridge was present with
1900 from Lynchburg. NV force amounted
to $500 engaged. It is certain his force great
ly exceeded ours.
A detachment sent to Pound Gap forced its
way through and drove Prentice with supe-
rior force from his works at Giadeille, captur-
ing several prisoners, asnumber of email arms,
and one piece of artillery,
Our loss in all is about $50, and that Of the
enemy more. VIII report fully by mail in the
morning. tt f4t
On the 3D. received orders from Gen. Sher-
man to return.
1.s S. B. BURBRIDGE, Uaj. Gen.
The telegraph line between Fortress Mon
roe and City Point was broken down by Sc
we're storm, and is not yet repaired. The lat
est military intelligence from there is the fol-
lowing telegram from Gen. Butler:
Headquarters Department Vtygtnia and
Maryland. Oct Sth.-Lieut. Gen. Grant,
Our success yesterday was decided one, al
though the rebel papers claim victory. They
admit that Gen. Gregg and Gen. Bratton were
wounded. Gen. Gregg was in command OF
Fields division. 3frali -
The Richmond Examiner of this morning
contains an Official dispatch from Gordoasville
last night stating that Yankee cavalry force
yesterday burnt the railroad bridge over the
Rapidan, and made their escape. No move
ment on the Harrisonburg side. No more
! troops have been over from Lee The move
ment yesterday was under his eye.
B. F. BUTLER, Maj. Gen.
No recent intelligence has been received
from Gen. Candy, but by his last reports he
says Gen. Steele is moving in force upon the
rear of Price toward Missouri.
(Signed) EDWIN NJ. STANTON, III
g ehnd 1o Secretary of War.