Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-01-09
THE NEWS.


The following official despatch was received at
the War Department Saturday night
"MAcoS, January eth, 1864
. To On. S. Cooper, A. d l. General:
General Hood reports from Spring Hill, Decem-
Der 9Th, 1884, that the morning Of the 18th in-
stmt, in front of Nashville, the enemy attacked
both TANKS of his army. They were repulsed on
The right with heavy loss, but towards evening they
drove in his infantry outpOsts on the lett flank
&. Early on the 10th the enemy made general at
tack OH his entire line All their assaults were
handsomely repulsed, with heavy loss, until IL
O'Clock p. NJ, when aportion of our line to the left
ofcentre, suddenly gave way, causing our lines 10
give way at all pomts-our troops retreating rapidly
City pieces of artillery and several ordnance
wagons were lost by us on that day. Our loss in
killed and wounded heretofore small-in prisoners
not ascertamed Major General Ed. Johnson, Brig
Generals l.. b. Smith and If. r. Jackson captured.
"fSignedl G.. Il. BEAUREGARD, Gen"
DUTCH GAP CANAL.
The application of steam to the purposes of nayi-
CATION made Fulton immortal, while Morse will
never be forgotten while the telegraph performs its
electric mission. With such examples before him.
il was but natural that Butler should desire to gain
a historic Immortality by performing feat in line
in which the greatest engineers had sgnaly failed.
What cared the hero of New Orleans, Drewry'
Bluff aud Wilmington that the Panama and Sue1 Ca.
nails had proved signal failures, when the success of
the cause Of the glorious Union required the ditcl-
ing of Dutch Gap With the sef-sacriiicing holiness
n CurtiuS he therefore threw hinselfnto the breech
and with the aid of a vast multitude OF Americans
of African descent, overlooked 10y Yankee task
masters lac has, according TO the latest Yankee ac
counts, blown out the upper end, and Consequently
completed the canal These accounts, however,
speak III anything but confident tones of the success
of the project for purposes of navigation. We will
nevertheless, give Butler all the credit he desires
and admit that long fiotilla of turreted mon
sters will come safely through IL and commence ope
raions on the north side of the Gap. OF course as
condition precedent to this feat must also eoncede
that the ledge Of rock at the upper mouth OF the
nal was not only blown up, but removed from the wa
ter. Well, after all that, pray what has been ac-
complished which could not have been done months
ago if the Yankees had not timd!y placed obstruc-
tons between their own and our feet. And what
compel him to slightly lengthen his lines We speak
circles the canal even if success is no more dread
ed than the observatory the south side of the
James, which is standing monument of Buffers
elevated patriotism. We could give the reasons
why but our enemies will discover them in due time
if they attempt an advance
THU PRESIDENT DOES NOT WANT AN ORGAN
''Cape Fear" the correspondent of the Whining.
ton JO,DpQl, writes: ! happen to know that tie
President was approached some months ago by an
intelligent gentleman who desired to establish first
class newspaper which should support the admins
tration and that the President, after thanking him
for his good intentions replied that while he wisheds
10 receive the support Of the press of the country
he did not wish to have an organ devoted especially
to his interests. He said no man was wise or ee-
waited that he could not be benefited by judicious
and Independent criticism, aud that he desired the
press to be perfectly free to condemn or approve
the acts OF government according as they might de-
serve.
GEN. PRICES DEATH CoNTRADICTED.
The Mobile RegiSter, on the oath ult., received a
pirate despatch from Major Rose, which says: 81
will lie in Mobile tomorrow. Ileft Shreveport, Dec
sth and heard nothing fthe death of General Price"
Ii will be remembered that General Price was re-
ported 10 have died at Doolcy's Ferry on the LIST
inst and the fact should have been known at Shreve-
port before the 9Th inst We sincerely hope it may
prove the old hero still lives.
MONTGOMERY RUN0RS.
The Montgomery AdcertiSer says f'kumors pre-
vailed on our streets on Saturday and Sunday that
General Forrest had been assassnated by one of his
men that President Davis had been killed by one of
his servants with slung shot; and that Generals
Beauregard and Iardee had been captured at Sayan-
nah Some OF our people, who too ready, at all
times TO yield eredence to floating rumors, especial
IL of an unpleasant character caught them up and
.tyati .t.aotsa ~ III: iiiai tclug ,
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