The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1864-06-24
Letter from richmond.
From our Special Correspondent

1tlNhhONDp OdnC AVtiit 1elpTs4
Our community was much shocked in
hearing, last evening, that Petersburg
"the cockade city of the SOUTH as it hal
been called--had been ctptureA by the
enemy. The news was startling in the
extreme, constituting fearful interrup
ton Of the nearly uniformly good tiding'
which we have been accustomed to re
ceive from all quarters Of late. The news
was said to have come through an anthem
tic medium. A Senator had received il
from Judge ----, member Of Congress
who had himself got the information from
the Preident's Private Secretary. No chan
mel OF intelligence could be more respect
able. II seemed to come with the prestige
of the Executive sanction. The Senator be
lieved 1t to be true, and many ofthose 10
whom he impaired il, believed the Senator
SO great is the estimation in which single
word dropped by the honorable members
who compose the higher chamberis held
by the generality of our people. Hence,
o Senator's endorsement of fact, or q
mere expression Of his belief, is deemed
nearly If not quite tantamonnt Ia irApor-
lance to a telegraphie dispatclM ff4m a
General. Sill the statement created the
greatest astonishmeht. How could such
thing be2 What had become Of Gen.
Beauregard-that watchfil sentinel, from
the vigilance of whose far searching eye
nothing is apt to escape--that he should
suffer himself to be taken by surprise?
Where was General d. III. Hill-who was
always ready, who allows no opportunity
to eIude him of dealing an effectual blow
at the enemy, and whose forces, II was
understood, had been specially assigned
to the duty of defending Petersburg, that
most important post, from all approaches
and assaults? What had become, too, OF
the reinforcements which were said by
our city newspapers to have lately been
sent to Beauregard to supply the vacancy
occasioned by the large numbers sent to
Lee? And what was Gen. Lee himself
thinking Of and what had he been doing,
what could he have been doing, after shav
ing whipped Grant SO often, until the
snake was not only scotched, but nearly
killed, to permit himself to be outgener-
aled by him at last 7 1t was certainly
strange, almost incredible, but IL true, a
terrible blow. What Qualification Lin
coin would make over it The capture
of Petersburg With the prospect. Of
immediate starvation before him, onesof
my governmental friends informs me,
that as soon as he heard the news he
took his basket in hand, and went as Fast
as he could to a grocer's on Broad Street,
and purchased enough of middling and
corn meal to last him month. "A pru-
dent man that!
But there were some, who had not the
fears of the Senator before their eyes, and
who would not credit the tale. They res
garded him an honest, honorable man.
but sensational, and too apt to look Oh
the dark side OF tho cloud. He was asked
who took Petersburg. ha could not say :
was thure no AtLcul,,L to dclenI Lee q ~,
he did not know. He believed the enc
my had marched into It, and taken it with
out blow being struck on our side. lie
was not acquainted with any of the de-
tails OF the capture. He only stated what
he had heard, and he was satisfied that
Petersburg had fallen. !,
After the lapse of half an hour met
an honorable member of the Lower
House, who placed an entirely different
face on the transaction, and, instead OF
being taken, / learned with
pleasure from him that The enemy had
been handsomely repulsed in the attempt,
and that dispatches had just been re-
ceived to that effect. This intelligence
luieted the prevailing alarm, and was a
great relief to the community. under
stand that Petersburg is, and will.be pro
5ected from assault, and that Gen. Beau
'egard has given the public satisfactory
assurances, that there is no probability of
is falling into the hands, of the enemy
low, or at any future time, The citizens
lad, it is said, been in expectation Of
he attack for day Or two, and mani
ested a promptitude and heroisna that
annot fail to be regarded as highly hon.
rable to their character. The losses in
Tiled, wounded and prisoners was small
onsidering the formidable character Of
he assault, and the numbers by which it
ras sustained Many citizens from the
ivil walks of life, professors of colleges, h
lergymen, physicians, clerks in counting
onses, and Bank officers, exempt from
Military service by their profession, occu-
alton or age, rushed into the ranks. in
rider to defend their beloved city from
he footsteps of the invader. Several K
aluable lives were lost, and good many
eroic men were wounded, but, upon the
nole, aii circumS.anc !. consiuereu, Tue
ie casuaIues were hoe as numerous as
'lgn. nave Deen enpecSeu, anu 1ne enc
were repulsed without diff
ilty.
There is quiet along our lines in this i
neighborhood. Gen. Lee hav- 4
Il understood that Warren's corps had !
ossed over to the south side, designed
,steruay morning' Is I leain rom an
n sh o ~ - ha.a n III aa dsns 1890
e ,S Ivy, sra v end dre,r !, liz i;nas Son