The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-03-17

"a " & w -
Bragg claims victory in North
Carolina. He has probably gained
one, and out of it the Richmond pa
pers try to make all possible and
much impossible capital. The party
that the rebels encountered was 8
force that had been repaiuing tho
railroad from Kiuston to NEWBORN
And it appears to have taken the
whole of Bragg's force to accomplish
this. Meantime a portion OF Scho
fields army, in connection with the
gunboats, were working their way VI
the Cape Fear river, and the new:
was received at Wilmington OIL
Wednesday the Sth, OF the capture
of Fayetteville, at which point Sher
msn was daily expected. There he
would be supplied, and, reinforced by
Schofeld, Bragg's little victory woult
have no more effect upon his move
ments than fly would on coach
wheel. II Sherman succeeds in get
ting TO Fayetteville, he will have
achieved Il great victory, and the reb-
els will have suffered irrNparable dis
aster. IT, with all their efforts, they
fail to check his march through North
Carolina, what crn they expect to ac.
complish against him when, supplied
and reinforced, he moves forward
again? They have already admitted
that everything depended upon the
defeat of our army in the INTERIOR
To this end they have been bending
all their means and, failing in this,
they surrender the strongest hopes OF
success in further resistance to which
they have hoan cllnSiug
he Richmond papers, nave si-e"
rs no news Of Shuridan's operations
in the Valley. They now say, how
ever, that they have good news from
the Valley. 1t is this: They expect
their cavalry to re capture the pris-
oners taken by Sheridan! But we
have heard from that cavalry. They
attacked the escort conducting the
prisoners to Winchester, and were
repulsed. If they made another at
tack, and had any better result, 1T has
not been heard of on either side.-'
Lee appears TO have been sending
forces to Lynchhurg. He will prob
ably succeed in holding that place for
the present against Sheridan, but il
he can not hold Lynchburg and check
Sherman too, he can not save Rich
mond. In this event Lynchbnrg may
serve him us Il hole to craw! out
through, but it viii be difficult for
him to make any better use of it.
The victory reported 10y Bragg on
the 9th WAS al eXaggeratiou. The
enemy captured three small guns and
a skilmish line Elated by this sue
cess, he made several reckless as
saults on Friday the 10th, and was
each time repulsed with severe loss,
losing many prisoners and leaving
his dead and wounded in our hands
General Cox commanded the Union
army. General Schoheld was on the
field giving personal attention to mat
ters. We were up to within three
miles of kinston The. rebels were
estimated at fifteen to twenty thou
sand. Prisoners reported two corps
there, but a rebel corps is now an in
definite number They also reported
Johnson marching in that direction.
Re-cnforcements from Wilmington
were within twelve miles Of General
Cox > headquarters. Ii Johnson
should be able to join Bragg before
sherman gets up it might trouble
Schofold. But this is not probable.
Next we have a dispatch to General
Lee from General Hampton dated on
the 10th inst, stating that he had
whipped Fitzpatrick, but the story is
told in such a way as to leave the i'm
preston that it was Hampton who
was whipped. At most the rebel vic
tory will prove to have been u very
small affair. The location of the
fight, it will be observed, is suppress
ed, but 1t was with Sherman 5 caval-
ry. took place on Saturday, and from
this we may conclude the Union army
was not far off from the position held
by Schofeld. IfJOhnson could unite
his forces against Schofield, in adj
vance of Sherman's arrival, it would
be a good piece OF strategy, and he
would do it, if possible; but, as re.
marked, we do not believe the sue
cess of the undertaking probable. 1t
will be observed that the rebels are
carefully suppressing, in their pa
pcrs, all unfavorable news. They
published no account Of Early's de,
feat, and have not even referred TO
Sheridan's destructive operations be-
tween Lynchburg and Richmond /;
and in regard to Bragg's repulse on
the 10th they are rs dumb as oysters.
On the other hand they eXGggerate
every thing that looks like n success,
rs for example Bragg's little achieve
ment OH the Sth. Then they prom.
ised good news from the Valley, when
cavalry force undertook to recap
ture the prisoners taken from Early,
but that movement failed, yet the pa
pers try to make it appear that it was
not altogether failure. Hampton S
dispatch, we shall also find, is an eX-
aggeration. This key TO the new reb-
Il IL 4 =.