Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-05-31

sg.ion OF which old Stonewall said, INC
men who carried this position are solulels
! indeedr the splendid handling or our AT
tillery and the conduct Of "the eyes ana
ears OF the army under "Jeb stuart the
flower Of cavaliers" were among the led-
lures of the day which II would Dc PEA
SAINT to dwell upon.
GENERAL. LEES ANNOUNCEMENT.
General Lee thus announced the result:
Headquarters, June =, leo-.
His Excellency President Davis:
Mr.. resident.-Profoundly grateful TO
| Almighty God for the signal victory
granted 10 US. it is my pleasing task 10
announce to you the success achleNed py
this army to-day. The enemy was this
morning driven from HIS strong position
behind Beaver Dam creek, and pursued
| to that behind POwhite creek, and hnally'
after a severe contest Of five hours, en-
tirely repulsed from the field. Night put
an end to tho contest grieve TO state
| that our less I'm officers and men Is great.
We sleep on the field and shall renew the
| contest in the morning.
/ have the honor to be,
Very respectfully,
Il. T.. LEE. General.
The reception Of the news in Richmond.
the turning out of the people en- masse 10
bury the dead. and care for the wounded,
! and the rejoicing In the full confidence
that the siege OF Richmond had been
raised. can all be better imagined than
described.
STRONG MEN MOVED TO TEARS.
/ can never forget the scenes presented
at our field hospitals that night. Our vic
tory had been purchased at a fearful cost
OF life and limb and the sight OF the
dead and wounded Comparatively new -
us then, but alasl fearfully common after
4
unused 10 the melting mood" My own
regiment, the Thirteenth Virginia. carried
into that battle 301 men, and lost l7 OF
them killed and wounded, and when our
heroic colonel afterwards General j. a.
Walker, or "Stonewall jim" as he was
affectionately called saw so many Of hts
brave fellows lying dead or wounded, hts
strong frame shook with emotion, and he
wept like a child. | recollect that in the
Louisa Company there were five brothers,
all Of whom were conspicuous for their
gallantry; that one Of them was trans
ferred 10 the Fifty-sixth Virginia, and
killed at Donelson, and that two others
We're killed outright, and the other two
badly wounded at Galnes'S Mill. The
news was carried back 10 their widowed
mother that all OF her boys had been kill
ed, and she said, in a spirit worthy of
Roman matron: well. they were noble
boys, and IL Is very nara 10 give tneIu
up. But they fell at the post OF duty.
and my chief regret Is that / have not
fve more boys like them 10 put in their
places"
Savage station and Frnzier's Farm,
June Goth and 30th.
The situation on the morning OF the
18th of June was peculiar and somewhat
problematical. Lee had driven Mcclellan
to the south side Of the Chickahominy, but
he still largely outnumbered Lee. and IL
seemed doubtful whether he would throw
his whole force by the lower bridges TO
the north side and give battle again for his
base at the White House. boldly strike for
the capture OF Richmond by attacking
the lines held by Magruder and Huger in
the hope OF carrying them before Lee
could come to their help, or retreat to a
new base on the James.
clsed Mcclellan for not adopting the
second plan, and some southern writers
have concurred In this view. but there
can be no reasonable doubt that had he
attempted II the result would have been
the utter destruction OF his army instead
OF the capture Of Richmond. He wisely
chose TO retreat TO the cover OF his gun
boats on the James. and he conducted his
retreat with decided ability. The claim
set up by General Mcclellan. and held by
northern writers. that he had determined
beforehand to "chauge his base'i-that he