The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-03-31
THE VIEWS.

THRILLING ACCOUNTS.
pstween 9 and 40 o'clock Wednesday
,,;rht the city was aroused by the sound
If rapid and heavy cannorade in the
a;,se,ion Of Petersburg. From parts of
the city the blaze Of the guns could be
esen through the black and murky
NIGHT With every moment the fire
ou;,kened and increased, and so con-
,;rued for more than two hours. After
midnight i, slackened, but was renewed,
al intervals, until daylight. It was the
received opinion that great battle had
been Joined on the Petersburg lines, and
it was believed to have been brought on
BY an attempt of the enemy to force our
right, on. Hatcher's run, and reach the
southsidc railroad.
Early yesterday morning the city was
refreshed with a report explanatory Of
the hurly- burly Of the night before,
which was to the effect that the enemy
had attempted to burst through General
tordon's lines, but had been seven tines
repulsed with the most terrible carnage.
The assault was represented to have
been made on the portion of General
Cordon's lines Immediately in front of
the scene of last Saturdays battle. Our
loss was said to be two hundred; the
enemy's was computed by the thousand.
rs ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE GIVEN BY THE
PETERSBURG PAPERS.
The evening papers Of this city were,
Yesterday, all ablaze with accounts of
the tremendous battle, and the Peters
burg papers Of yesterday morning, that
reached here during the evening, con-
tain the following thrilling account:
Last night, at nine minutes past 10
o'clock, the enemy opened Oh cur ex-
treme left, near the Appomattox, with
fearful artillery fire, while a simulta-
neous movement was made on the part
of their infantry, the men charging up
to our breastworks in great masses.
"Our men, under the gallant Gordon,
we're wide awake, and received the charge
with a GOODNESS and precision which
caused the assailants to recoil with evil
dent dsmay and CONSERVATION.
"Up to 10 o'clock the fighting was
continued with great vigor and per
sistency, the enemy making, in all, Ave
separate assaults, in every one of which
the blue>bellies were sent reeling back.
"At the late hour at which we write
az 10 4. NJ heavy firing is progress
= ing but our officers and nen know that
the enemy has done his worst, and feel
perfectly satisfied that they can hold
tlieir own against Grants combined
legons.
"The night was intensely dark, it
being impossible to see man at dis.
lance of more than twenty PAGES, and
We cannot speak positively of the ene>
my's losses, but they must have been
immense. They came in swarms, sup
posed to be several lines of battle deep,
and as in no instance did they even get
through our distractions, the irresistible
inference H. that the slaughter was fear~
full. Our loss, we are pleased to hear,
was comparatively small.
eve witnessed the scene from the
brow of Bolling's hill, and never saw
one more fearfully grand. From thu
river around to the Wilcox house, for
distance of three miles, the horizon was
Illuminated with bursting mortars and
exploding shells, while the line Of battle
was most clearly defined by the sheet Of
flame which literally blazed, without ces
sati0n from the muzzleS OF our small
arms.
1.-The entire community was aroused
by the deafening roar of artillery and IN
cessant roll of musketry, which shool
every dwelling from roof to basemen
and caused the inmates to shake with
agitation and alarm.
The enemy evidently expected to sur
prise our troops; but General Gordon
boys never sleep when danger is near
and extended to the assailants recep
ton which we think it probable the.
will never forget. General Gordon
motto is: Eternal vigilance is the pric
Of liberty
1.-THE gallantry of our men was dis
played,in a. most gratifying manner, ant
their conduct is the theme of universe
praise. The artillery fire on our sid
was magnificent, and the Cummings an
Bradford batteries in Chesterfield wer
eminently conspicuous for rapid and &C
curate firing from the elevation we occu
pied. 1t is fact especially deserving
Of mention, that during the entire figh
which lasted two hours, not a man wa
observed coming to the rear.
"THuRspAY. / O. clock A. N.