Year: 1864




| NEAR HANOVER JUNCTION,
III Il u S,tf May %, 1864 y


1t is no secret, Isuppose, that the armies
of Northern Virginia and the Potomac have
ceased TO ceafront each other on the Ozark
and bloody grounds near lSpottsylvania q.
H. EARLY on Saturday morning the corps
of 1t. Gen. Ewell, which at that time was
10 position on our right, took up the line OF
march, moving, it was then said, to the
right, in order tocounteract similar move
ment which Grant was reported to be then
making. During the morning there was
unusual aniet in front of and around Spott>
sylyania Court House.. About P. NJ. our
batteries opened sharp cannonsding on the
enemy's breastwOrks, and shortly alter, IN
obedience to the order Of Gen. Lee, Major
Gen. Wilcox moved his division forward to
an assault upon the enemy's intrenchmenrs,
in order to determine the exact situation.
A most gallant charge was made in the face
of heavy fire both from their skirmishers
in front of, and the line Of skirmishers hold.
ing the breastworks. The enemy were
quickly driven from the brastworks and a
few captured. It was now discovered the
enemy were rapidly moving their whole ar
my on our right flank, and had been since
daybreak- --the force in our front being o
mere handful of men who had been left to
keep up appearances.


As soon as the reconnoisaDce was over
everything and everybody was on the move
with us. The wagon train and the troops
moved all that night and all day yesterday
Our troops were, Of course much wearled,
and there was some struggling; but as the
enemy did not press our rear, but seemed
to be moving more on lines parallel with
ours it is quite probable that we will lose
very few of our men by struggling


The enemy reached Bowling Green and
Milford with their cavalry on Saturday.
Grant is said to have cut loose from Fred
sricksburg, and to be making Tappahan
mock and Port Royal bis depots for supplies.
His columns seem to be moving on the tel,
egraph and old stage roads, both of which
are we'll known high roads between Fred
ericksburg and Richmond.


This movement has been most orderly
conducted and am quite certain We have
lost but little, either in property, men or
morale of the army. This morning at sun
rise everything is going to the front and
our line Of battle has been formed. The
enemy's cavalry have appeared in front and
some little skrmishing is going on; but il
is not believed that Grant will be in a con'
dition to offer battle before Wednesday or
Thursday, if then.


JUNCTION, May 23-5p.M.


1t is reported here that there has been an
engagement near the bridge over the tele
graph road about p miles Northwest OF
this place, this evening, in which the enc
my were repulsed with some loss It is
supposed to have been an attack Of the enc.
my's cavalry on our forces stationed at that
point.


GRANTS CHANGE OF BAsE--A REBEL VIEW.
The Richmo nd Eraminer under date Of
May "a says the intelligence already pub
| lished confirmed in tie most complete
manner. The chief army OF the enemy
has abandoned its base on the Rapidan and
upper Rappahannock, and established a
new source Of supply on the lower waters
of the last named river, at Port Royal and
Tappahannock His troops are massed in
the country between the Mattapony and
the lower Rappahannock. His front is at
Milford and the Bowling Green. This
change OF position has rendered necessary
corresponding change in the position of
Gen. Lee. After ascertaining that no enc
my was left to fight in Spottsylvania, he
has come down the line be has held with
success from the first, and again planted
himself between Grant and Richmond,
near Hanover Junction.


The Northern journals certainly do keep
up their game wonderfully we'll, though
they make no quotation of gold They
persist TO the last in the noisy lie, the fla
grant imposture, the pail pable sophism, the
vulgar beast demanded by their master at
Washington, with undated vigor and per
tinacity, though they do not quote the
price Of gold. On the news Of this move
ment by Gen. Lee they will, Of course,
raise the yell of triumph louder than ever.
The retreat of Lee-the fight of the Con
federates Have they not abandoned
Spottsylvania Court House Is not the
Junction twenty miles nearer Richmond =?
What an amount of gaseous nonsense and
truculent blackguardism will be expended
on these themes 1t is irritating to think
of the turn they will give to the facts but
we cannot help it, aud can afford to despise
what can do no earthly harm. We sup
posed that people have sense in New York
and London as elsewhere, and it will be diff
ticult to make them believe that the Con
federate army is flying when it moves from
position which its adversary has abandon
ed to place itself full before him across
the new road on W hich he has determined
to travel.


When Gen. Lee moves his army after a
Lost battle, for the purpose of getting away
from his antagonist. because he finds him
self unable TO maintain struggle Of brute
force, with him, he will have retrsated.--
But if either party has done that, it is Ger
tainly Grant-Lee followed him from the
Wilderness he is now the last to move
and is pursuer, not pursued from Spottsyl-
| vania 1t is true that BY both movements