Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-03-06

| N
needed''-hspes Of "Bsgsisg'' sher n .
Exchange sfPrissners 6sinE On, &s.
Richmond papers Of March have been re-
ceived, put contain NO important news. the
| tsrest ~ 40 VI ""5 '"-
"The Fayetteville Telegraph O, ths oitn
| Gays that an officer who arrived here dIrert
| frcm South Carolina last night, gives ma seus,
| lnit resting Items concerning the evacuat,on Of
| Charleston. The evscVaton took place on Pri-
| day night and the city was occu pied by sbout
five hundred Yankees, who landed In small
| boats about IL O'Clock on Saturday.
| .'AIl the cotton (soms 6,000 balesl, and the
| shipping WAS destroyed, and the gans spiked
ny the military authorities The city is now
| but little more than a heap OF ruins When the
Yankees entered nearly half of IL was in ashes.
and terrible fire was still raging. The nrs
| originated IN tWo ways A quantity OF dam
ssea poWder mad been left at the depot OF tie
| NoItneastrailroid company, among q number
| OF other articles, crowd Of negroes and
SIuLens OF the lower class had Assem- 6led for
snor, .ne purPoss 1 OF pase: While there, boy, in
"hleh, communicating with thas.in the boxes
igni'ed the whole, causing a terrible explosion,
WIN WIN considerable loss OF life. The immense
Depot building vas blown to atoms, and toe
IRE spread rapiC1y to the ad roining houses 1t
hprned with great rapidity, and extend as
ar up on King street as the soldiers home
abont Inc same time a fire broke out In au other
portion ofthe city. caused by the burning OF
the savannah bridge. This tire was also very
from river TO river. Numerous other free also
| occurred in different parts of the city, said 10
have been the work of the citizens themselves
the city by the Yankees
"Our forces, under General Hardee. have
gone in the right direction 1t is not permissl-
Bile to state where they are, but thew will bs
found where they are most needed"
From North Carolina.
"Ihe Raleigh Conservative slindes 10 Sher-
IN ans operations and INDUCES the hope that,
nFa n
rals and brave troops in that quarter will es
able to bag him, or send him bowling to the
rear
"If the report brought us by telegraph, that
the small force left by him at Col umbit. has
been expelled, be true, then the repulse in
'front.' should he suffer such, would probably
render his affairs desperate in the extreme,
But we " i'll not speculate further in regard 20
matters which must cease to be matters for
mere speculation soon."
says:
The Yankee prisoners have all been sent
from ihe camps near this place TO Northeast
Bridge, for the purpose OF bting exchanged
"Many others from Greensboro and Sails
bury have passed through here for the same
destination.
"All Federal prisoners IN North Carolina
are TO be exchanged. we learn. st Northeast
Bridge, a few miles from Wilmington. We
presume the exchange will be completed In a
few days.
Important Rumors in Richmond-T Their
Effect upon the Country people ei viz
gina.
From the Richmond Dispstcb, Msreh21
Owing 10 certain groundsss reports, which
have gained circulation in Richmond for the
past few days, large number of country peo.
pie have been deferred from bringing their pro.
duets 10 market, and, as q conseq uence, but IT.
tie is offered at hose places for sale. That fur
ther injury may not ensue from these rumors,
we hereby contradict them upon the very high
est Official authority.
The Probable Yankee Attemp, to Gu, OH
the Retreat Of Lec-Predicted FaIlure-
Early and Mud the opposing forces.
From Richmond Examiner, March 2.l
The latest Northern papers, gratuitously as.
euming that Lee must retreat from before
richmond, and that his march must be by way
OF Ly nchburg, and in the direction OF Ken
lucky or East Tennessee, announce with con-
ndence that me as ures have been taken for the
destruction of the Virginia and Tennessee
railway. AS they have but small available
lorce beyond the western terminus of thss
Work and as the common roads in that quar-
Ter OF the world are impracticable at the pres
ent time from the unprecedented fros.s, rains,
ana thaws OF this winter, II is reasonable 70
assume that the intended movemen. upon the
railroad must be from the east. From Win-
chester TO Staunton this force would have the
advantage OF an excellent macadamlzed turn -
pike road. General Early is, however en-
camped somewhere on its line Of march in
dl,,o snSn i0rce as might ehectuaily check the e.
however, 81. :. ~ sadie f5ad terminates,
ahdf df96tnu roads begin, and it is quite probable
that pontOon bridges would be needed for other
uses than the passage OF rivers and mountain
torrents.
The popularity of the roads in mountainous
regions is, that they traverse The valleys
and lowest depressions Of country, and cannot,
of course, hang upon the ridges. During the
winter and wet seasoas there is a continuous
ocZe OF " ater from the foo. OF hills and noun
tains, which keeps the roads always deep
with mud and mire. This ls the state of things
upon which the enemy embark on passing
Stanton. And as the distance from there to
Buchanan, where another macadamiZed road
begins. is sixty miles, II Is a problem for calcu-
latIon how long it would require for large
cavalry force dragging artillery and pontoOa
bridges along with IL, TO accomplish q march
OF sixty miles, over roads deep with mire, e. q
season Of The year when they are g. the very
worst. further element OF the proposition
would be how long the journey would occupy
with a determ ined enemy in front who, IL fall
ing TO check the advance, would at least delay
if, and by passing over the road in advance.
put il in the very worst possible condition fer
the force pressing on behind.
From Buchanan the railroad might be
reached over had roads in days march, or
the enemy might pursue the macad6mi2ed road
TO Salem, distant some forty miles, but 10 is
PLAIN that the period necessary ID accomplish
the march would be sufficen time 10 intercept
and thwart the whole project. II, however,
the enemy should not strike for Buchanan On
leaving Staunton, hut make directly for Lynch
burg, distant about seventy miles. he would
still be So much delayed by the condition OF the
roads that an ample force eSald be in.erposed
for the protection of that city. The same diff
Guilty would also obstruct him IL he were TO
turn of at right angles at Staunton, and cross
the Blue Ridge in the direction OF CharIottes-
vile, GordonsvIlle, and Richmond Looking
at all the circumstances OF the case, We think
it quite probable that the enemy would find
the expedition would be premature, and likely
TO end in failure il not in grief. The absurdity
of endea voTing thus to intercept General Lees
retreat al this early dayis amusing.
General Sheridan's Advance.
The Richmond Dispatch OF Wednesday sSys:
"The enemy (Sheridan's command) On yes
terday were approaching Staunton In heavy
force from the Fallev-cbief1y artillery.
'sOwing to the fact there has lately been q
large force of Federal cavalry idle in the Shen-
andoah Valley, we have been expecting TO
hear of a move from that direction. When Lee
transferred Early's now Gordon's) command
from the vicinity of Fishers Hill TO his right
wing below the James, the small force lefs
was Withdrawn far up the Valley TO New
Market.
,,Tbe last reconnaissance made by our troops