The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-07-05
VOL. XVIII.
THE WAR NEWS.


no nearer Petersburg than II vas before;
indeed, we are assured that on yesterday,
when 1t. was e 2ccted that Grant would
have made 4 aCa assault aud demanded q
surrender oi tto i,iace, he was less demon
stratIve than uha1l, aud cruieutod himself
with throwing lew shell for tlie purpose
81 annoying the women and children. At
,.Ie time ycetorda' the shei!ing was quite
rapid, bat during portion oi the day every
thing Was qaiet.
That somc nj, m,ut il ON foot in The
lAukee army is atent, but what 1t is we
are At loss to cu.I s:!ure. II IL positively
known thai Graz has greatly contracted
tl5 .. 49, .avoual Peta'@i5usg. haviu" with
drawn an army corps or more from his cx
tremc left, which, until Saturday, extended
10 Dt. Gurlcy's farm, within four miles Of
Reamss Station, and about two miles to
the east OF the Petersburg aud Weldon
road. His reasons for this contraction are
not known with certainty His idea OF cir
cunyalatiGg the city, so as 10 include the
Weldon, Southside, and DAnyille Railroads,
hls been completely exploded by iLe recent
disastrous termination OF his grand Wilson
raid; but had that proved q success il would
have required AZ least 80 o0U men to have
securely guarded s. line extended TO s@ch .
length Again, the point to which, ha had
extended his ieil offered such tempting
lait 10 the ever vg.lant Mahone til2i it bad
been twica tlauked, aud . large nUm9cr Ci
prisoners gathered into the Confederate net,
to say nothing of the many which tell 10
rise no mere in the battlefield. Ii is said,
too, by persons who know the country, that
in that particular section there is always q
great scarcity OF water, but since the pre-
sent protracted drouth il has been next tc
impossibiiity to procure this article, So in
dispeIsabie to the health and comfort Of an
army. Prisoners taken confirm this, and
cay that there has been great suffering ia
camp for water, During one OF the late GU
gagements in that section Genera, barely
escaped capture while endeavoring 10 slal4e
his thirst over q little mud puddle in the
woods. Two OF his aids were not SO fortu-
nate, and Our soldiers captured them on
the much,coyeted spot
Grants intentions will probably be de-
vel0pCd In o day or two. lie may be coz
temptating another change OF base, having
found thlt he can accomplish nothing IN
from: OF Petersburg beyond the temporary
Inconvenience imposed on the Inhabitants
l. Is stated that the enemy embarked a
large number OF troops NJ City poirt Oh
ThUrsday last. The ulen occupied lrr large
f.In.s1ATfs and hpotc y
cd. Whether these were men whose tgrms
Of service had expired, or whose removal
from Grants army has bcen rendered i,3cee-
sary for operations eleewh1.e, il is inpossi.
BILE at present to Fay.
Tue Petersburg train last evening brought
over some twenty or more Yankee prison.
ers, captured IL DiuwiddiG.
TIE GREAT WILSON KAUTz RAID.
IN The fight ut Sappony Church from 800
TO 200 prisoners were taken, which, without
being sent TO Z PcterBbarg, we're started 1t
once for Georgia. Che losses Of the enemy
in the atlaiIa beyond Petersburg, ii pGi5ou-
ers atone, may be safely estimated 1T twelve
huglred. We also captured Inauy hundred
small arms, and 5000 rounds OF amnuDi-
tiop. Two additional pieces Of cannon nsye
been found III the Nottoway river, 1nahUg
fifteen captured in ali, which prisoners soy
Is tue sum total taken cut by the enemy IN
the raid. /. is stated, on the authority of
q Confederate officer, that fully 5000 horGes
fell into the hands OF our tr00IB.
Among our officers who fell at Sappony
tersburg cavalry, and Major Birchctt, OF the
Prince George cavalry
1Hs FIGHT AT SGAUHroN RIysR BRIDGE.
This engagement was fought, on our paIi =,
entirely by the militia reaegyes and c0uva--
lescents from the hospitals at l.ynehburr.
The enemy leit forty two dead onthe field.
aud many bodies have been found since the
light on the land adjacent. a heap of human
bones Were found in the ruins OF Stanton
Depot, on the Richmond and DAnyille Rail
road, about q mile from the bridge This
bailding was burnt 10y the enemy, and it is
believed that large number OF their dead,
as well as badly wounded were CONSUMED
with it. 4 gentleman who was 4 prisoner
ID the hand OF the enemy at the time in-
forms rs that the wounded were placed in
the depot, and he is not aware Of their hav-
ing been removed. Our loss in this light
was 10 killed and ~ wounded,
THE Y.sKGEs IN B3TEroURr.
A private letter from Buchanan, B0tetourt
county, gives scmc particulars OF the out
RACES perpetratcd by the Yankees on their
recent visit TO that place It says; "Abuut
two weeks ago We were visited by large
number Of Yankees, The whole commands
OF AVerill, Crook, Dutiee, and Hunter. For
foutdlys and nights We had no rest what
cveI. They stripped us Of everything we
had to eat, and VIC came very near being
burnt out. All around, .as far as The eye
could reach, their camp fires were burning,
and all the hills abose our garden were
lined with them. They tore of all the fence
around the garden, marched through
by dozens, broke the well to pieces,
took every vegetable and gooseberry,
walked into the house and deiiber-
ately stole all the aour we had and carried
1t oil. Ii no one but Averill had come we
would have done pretty well. lie was here
day or two before the Others, and did not
seem inclined to take advantage of our de-