Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1865-04-08

lights before us will permit. The candid,
fair and soldierly dispatches Of Generals
Meade, Wright aud Humphrey sufficient I
ly disclose the condition Of things on
Thursday evening, the 9th.
l. The evacuation Of Richmond began
before the advance OF General Grant on
the 2sh Of March, and so effectusl was it,
that all that General Weitzel found in it
worth telegrOphing, was 80 many loeomo'
tives, and so mauy cars, passenger, bag
gage and freight.
2. Ia the battles Of Friday and Satur.
day the Federal losses were very heavy,
and as the President telegraphed, no de-
cided advantage gained.
3. On that night the bulk Of Lees ar
my was withdrawn towards Danville. on
a line OF re treat southwest Of the Apo
mattoI. leaving only heavy skirmish lines
to hold the works southwest of Petersburg,
and the works around Richmond.
4. On Sunday stout and determined
resistance was made to Grants advance;
but gradually the lines Of the Oonfeder-
ates were pushed back and the works oc-
cupied.
s. On Sunday night General Ewell,
who was left in charge Of Richmond, fred
part of the city and began his retreat on
the road 10 Amelia Court House, being
Joined some miles out of Richmond, by
the Confederate forces, which having been
forced north of the Southside railroad,
had that night retreated north Of the APP
pomsttox and finally even north Of the
Richmond & Danvile railroad. to unite
with Ewell.
6. General Ewell retrested on line
southwest Of Richmond but north OF the
Richmond l. Danville railroad, through
Amelia Court House in the direction Of
Farmville, which is on the Lynchburg
railroad, northwest Of Burke's Station,
1.-THE junction of the SouthSide aud Dan
vile rosds) passing north of Jettersville
and the Junction, and of the entire line
of pursuit by Sheridan, Wright and
Humphrey.
7. Nothing seems 10 have been known Of
these Confederate forces till Wednesday
the 9th, and on Thursday the 9th at four
P. NJ, they were attacked by Wright and
{ Humphrey along with Sheridan command
ing the cavalry, and after stout resistance,
: were routed with the loss of three guns
five flags and "many prisoners" " including
> General Ewel himself and four other
general officers.
8. The forces attacked were palpsbly
only the rear column of Lees army under
Ewell, the main body having cOnsidera.
bly, the start, and having moved also. nc
! doubt, on q line of retreat south of the
Richmond d Danville road, and probably
south of the SoUthside road Neither
Lincoln, nor Grant, nor Meade, moi
Wright, nor Humphrey pretend that it
was Lees army, but only say "the enc
my" No one speaks of Lee or Lee'i
army, except Sheridan, and Stanton a
Washington. General Ewell was the las
to leave Richmond, and his capture proves
, that it was the rear column Of Lees army
which was engaged on Thursday.
9. 1t is evident that General Lee will
the great mass of his army and nearly al
his materiel has made good his retreat il
!. the direction Of Danville, to take mp tn
new line of defense long ago marked ou
r and prepared, and thus to protract the wa
o indefinitely.
10. Even the rear column underGenera
Ewell, though routed was not destroye'
or dispersed-much less Lees whole army
. This column still continued its retreat
and probably without other serious moles
e tation--though Sheridan will no dout
n for several days report "more prisoner
and guns" and finally insist that Geners
l. Lee and his whole army was not captured
h only because "the thing was not pressed.
y IL. That the pursuit was substantial
at an end for the present, appears from tn
W latest official dispatches. General Mead
A says: Pursuit will be commenced q
!. soon as the men have had little rest, an
8 will be continued as long as it promise
snccess.n General Wright saws: :.