, 1864-07-07

point having been clearly demonstrated, Gen,
Wilson dispatched Gen. ..Kautz up left-hand
road toward Reem5 Station. Gen. Kautz's
division was followed by the wagon and am
bnlance trims of the whole force, md Gen.
Wilson, having constructed line Of riae.plts
IN rear Of: the front line Of battle during the
night, left In them the 1st Vermont aud 6th
and ed New York. withdrawing tho rest Of
his force short time before Daylight, and
following Gen. Kautz to Recns Station.
The men lett with the led horses Of the
regiment, who remained to. cover the rear,
came in a1terward and reported that the enc
my, turning the right flank Of the men in the
brtastWofks, Ind captured the who1s party. :.
=. Gen. Kautz on reaching Reems Station soon
found that the enemy were strongly posted:
at that point also, and was sharply engaged
before daylight. Gen. Wilson, with the
/, passed along Kautzss rear, and was about to
take position on his left, but had hardly
formed in line of battle when be E*as attacked
by heavy force Of infantry, a column Of cav
airy IN the meantime {according to some nc
,connts) passing round to the rear
fused; but It appears that Gen, Wilson, per.
ceivfng that his command wast In danger Of
being surrounded, determined to try to save
part OF It by mo11ug out By the right flank
IN direction nearly due south; Gen. Kautz
i3 ths ~ mssnsme sa retaining his Poston Is
York, I'd New York, and several other regl-
ments belonging to. Mc1ntosh'a and Chap
mans b1igndes.. The reports in regard to
the facts Of Gen. Wilson aud the party ac-
: 'companying him are vague and conflicting,
and the einitlest solution Of the matter IL for
fact the rumors 80, far received are scarcely
worth repeating. , ''- -~~
Gen. KRutz seeing that evory moment WAS
Increasing: the dangers: already environlng
his force, gave orders that each regiment
should endeayor to cut It's way ont as best it
the railroad and crossing 1t, when the thick
woods on the east side would conceal their
movements. Dashing at full speed through
woods and swamps, oYer bitches and fences,
and In some cases cutting their way with tho
eaber through rebe! troops, the greater part
Of Gen. Rautz's own divislon, consisting Of
TIE 5th and 11th Pennsylyania, 1st District Of
Columbia, and "a New York, with the mem
hers already stated Of the I'd Ohio and 5th
New York, and fer Of other regiments,
made their way with great difficulty into our
lines, the enemy pursuing aud tring upon
them till they rot within o1r plcket-lino on
the Jerusalem Piankroad. Many were doubt
1ess Killed and wounded in running this ter
rible gauntlet, and manT horse and rider
must have fallen In the hreak-neck chase
through the woods.
Col. Spear, commanding the 11th Penn
sylyania, and the Sd New York was the frat
to cross the Itlroad; and notwithstanding
the hurry and excitement Of the moment,
some officers found time to cut the telegraph
Wires. E -.
Our trains, including the ambulances and
wounded, must have been captured The
cnissons Of some Of our batteries had been
blown up before entering the fight at Reems
fallen into the cnemy's hands, not however
before they were spiked, and as 1r,a posi-.
bic disabled, .''-:
The conduct of the artllle1ists Of Lieut..
Fitzhugh's battery near Reems Station, ra
cciTes the highest encomiums from those ],
have heard speak on the subject. 1t is. sald
they stood firing grape aud cannister into the
ranks Of the enemy till the latter were 40
close upon them that by the time. they had
spiked their guns and mounted their horses,
which the drivers had already Embarrassed
and held In readiness, the rebels were within
ten PAGES Of the muzzles Of their guns.
In addition to the men who came with
Gen. kautz others reach our; lines OCCASION
ally, alone or in small squads, and the num-
be1s missing viii probably be yet consider.
ably diminished =.
. 1t is said BY some: other men coming In
ter they had surrendered. One reports that
while lying, in swamp be heard another near
him cry out, ~ surrender" "Surrcudef,
you d--l Yankee," was the reply, stake
That accompanying the exclamation with
/ hear that the Richinoud Enqu;rrr. OF the.
9th, urged that no quarter should BE- given
to any Of the ralders-alleglng that the death
Of every one OF them would not be an equtva-
lent to the rebel Government for the damage
done to it. This, if true. Is the most con
clueiye testimony that could be asked as to
the complete effectiveness Of the raid. A
prisoner captured near Reems Station states
that Gen. Lee had sworn That not q single
raider should get back He has evidently
made stupendous efforts to make his oath
good, for not single crossing On the Weldon
Road WINS left uuguarded. The enemy had
scouts out miles to tie westward on every
road BY which our troops could possibly ap-
proach, and Carried information Of the direc-
ton taken In time to enable them to meet us
with Superior force at any point
It is difficult to ascertain exactly what
rebel troops were encountered ut Stoay Creek
aud Reems, but it IL certain that there was
Infantry at both potuts, beside, probably, the
greater portion of their cavairy It is re-
ported that Fitzhugh Lee was killed in one
ot the engagements.
The first information brought to General
Meade's headquarters Of Wilson's position
necticdt and 4. D. G. to General Wilson,
He left Reems Station at a. IN. of tue Goth,
with forty men Of the Sd New York Cavalry,
and cutting his way through the rebel pick
cts and also through a portion Of cavalry
column on the move, he reached headquar-
was Immediately ordered out to the assist
ance Of the cavalry, but by the time they mr.
rived, which was near evening, the affair was
over. They took position and remained there
until the afternoon of the 30th. employing
themselves meanwhile in destroying the rail-
road, which Tns done most thoroughly for
three or four miles.
It would bo useless to offer any comment
on the circumstances and results Of this raid.
Suffice it to say that, at the very worst, We
may reckon on having net gain in our favor.
One Of the fundamental naxins Of WAT is to
operate on your .enemy's communications
without endanger1ng Jour own. Tried by
this maxim, the soundness OF Gen, Grants
strategy in selecting Petersburg US the OBJ
tective point of his great movement from the
Rapidan becomes striking1y apparent and is
torcibly illustrated by the results of this
LATER-wusQN SAFE WITHIN OUR LINES.
HEADQUARTERS ARAT or THE PoroxAc,,
= ~ Saturday, July 40 a. N. E
Gen. Wilson has come into our lines with
the Sd cavalry division. There Ia consider
able rejoicing over his return The old Sd
rebels.
General Lee, in bis violent rage, swore
| that not one should escape. The guns and
| wagons we can well afford to lose IN conBtd-
Grafton OF the Iteparable damage done their
| roads.
l. The cavalry Of the Third Division, with
whom have just conversed, present sorry
picture. They are dusty and almost worn
1 ont by twelve days incesEQut marching and
yigils, during which they hare marched over
$50 miles, or perhaps AGO miles, finding it
impossible to cut through tho rebel lines at
Ream's Sta1lon, ard no help coming from
tie vicinity ct Petersburg, zen. Wilson Or
| de1cd h1s command to retreat under corcr Of
/ night towards Suffolk.
Haring crossed NottoWaY River about
thirty miles below Petersburg, they struck
| for the railroad and crossed at Jarrett's Sta
| tion, md bearing southwark crossed the
Blackwater at the county road bridge, and
| came into our lines at Cabin Point, nTe miles
southeast Of Fort PoWhatan. :,
| TRlG1ITFUL ACCIDENT.
4 Railroad Train Hurled Down 4
l. Mountain.