The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-01-02


He crossed ths livsr into King and
Queen, and falling into : boly of home
gnards and nili6a wss surrounded, In : !.
dark night and fariously attacked. He ]
himself was killed on the spot and the
greater part Of his men taken prisoners.
On his person were found papcrs which
revealed his design to set Gre to the city
during the night and to inaugurate
general scene Of piilage and mass1cre.
The most ample preparations had beer
made. Qakum and tprpentine had been
fosmsd into the most convenient shapes
for executing the diAbolical purpose.
But death cut short his designs.
The next most notable incident was
the defeat Of Banks in Western Louisiana
by Dick Taylor. This was most inn
portant victory. Tho enemy lost at least
twenty thousand men, and would have
lost his whole army and the. feet that
operated with it but for the want Of
vigor in following up the blow.
Next came our successes in North
Carolina, especially that at Washington,
in which General Hoke so highly dis
tinguished himself that he was made
major general for his gallantry.
We now come to Grants great expe-
dition, the object of which was to over
whelm Lee in the upper country and pass
on over his body to Richmond, which he
expected to enter without further oppo-
sition. The Yankee papers had said he
was to celebrate the Alb of July in Rich
mond, and he seems to have entertained
that opinion himself He crossed the
Rapid Ann on the 4th Of May with an
enormous force-reckoned at not less
than one hundred and fifty thousand
men, in one body. Notwithstanding a
great inferiority of numbers, General Lee
hastened to attack him. The battle
lasted three days, and resulted in our
complete success. Grant, whose face
was south, and who had proclaimed bis
determination to fight it out on that line
if it took him all summer, was forced to
nal, n ,,aavassess1ks -
ilid 19rmer line Of march. having been
utterly unable to drive Lee out of his
way. He lost, according to the Wash
ington Chronicle, the Government pa.
per, edited by Forney, -thirty-fye thou
sand men on this occasion. As the Yam
KEGS, Of course, do not speak half th'
truth on such occasions, we may fairl,
infer that the loss was at least sixt,
| thousand, which estimate is rendered
probable by the number Of small arm
picked up by our men-ffty-seven thou
sand in all Grant wrote.a lying dis
patch, claiming victory, at the yer,
time that he was retiring before Lee
while the latter, following him up, drov
him out Of Spotsylvania Courthouse ant
established himself there. Here he wa
again assailed BY Grant on the 9th an
10th Of May. On tho latter day, he sua
tanned sanguinary repulse, in which b
lost twenty thousand men. On the 12tf
he made = sudden assault upon porto
Of our lines which was too far ADVANCED
an1, by the suddenness of the onse
routed the division Of General Edwar
4 johnson and captured two thousan
prisoners (among them the General hin
selO and all the artillery Of the division
The Yankees, however, were soon drive
of, and the most tremendous battle
the war ensued. Being behind breast
works, our men suffered little, while Il
slaughter Of the Yankees was without
j, parallel. We think we may safely put
at thirty thousand men, since they ther
: selves confess to twenty thousand. II
armies remained facing each 9th
for several days; but Grant had b,
enough of it, and would not try gen
ralassault again. Several feeble attemp
!, were made, but his men had lost spil
and could not be brought up to t
scratch again. Before he left Spots,
J vania, Grant bad already lost one hu
dred thousand men. He had been rel
, forced BY twenty-five thousand veteran
t so Stanton said. Finding he could n
i drive Lee out Of his path, he again stt
. around his left, and endeavored to
: before him In the race for Richmond
: He Wa aeAin unsuccessful; bat tha
|. vac no more heavy Sighting until Gra
had arrived 4 Cold Hsrbor where
!, found Lee again facing him. Here
q sustained another tremendous slaught
: and here he vas reinforced BY > port
,l-of Buffers mon and forty thousand o.
y h,,rs1vod -Aave, nAAs, foam Cincinnati.