Monday, November 7, 2011

From Bank’s Division

Special to Herald.

NEW YORK, April 3.

It is rumored here to-day that the rebel Cabinet has decided to burn the city of Richmond on the approach of the Union Army.

Business was never so brisk on the line of the Orange and Alexandria RR.

Since the affair in the Sickles Brigade, where a master shot at his servant, Gen. Hooker has positively refused passes to go into the camps of his division to hunt contrabands.

Lieuts. J. P. Hall and W. McGunnegle have been ordered to report to flag officer Foote.

The number of sick soldiers in the government hospitals in the District, as the last weekly report, was 2,314.  Of these 536 are from N. Y. regiments.

Slight skirmishing continues to be the order of the day along our front, each army lying in sight of the other, and entertaining one another with occasional artillery practice and cavalry charges.

Yesterday Col. Geary captured a number of rebels after a spirited skirmish, in which several of the enemy were killed.

The completion of the RR. to within the immediate neighborhood of the advance, places many of our forces in a much more advantageous position, and will doubtless greatly accelerate the movements of our advancing army.

The rebel cavalry continues to make incursions through the country beyond Manassas junction.


WOODSTOCK, 2 P. M.

The rebels, when retreating yesterday attempted to burn a bridge over the creek near the narrow passage, but it was extinguished.

The magnificent RR. bridge, 100 feet high, over the same stream, was burned by Jackson when retreating from Gen. Shields.

A grey stallion, said to be Col. Ashby’s was shot yesterday near this town.  The ball must have wounded the rider in the left thigh.  The current report, however, that Ashby was wounded, is not credited at headquarters.

Some of Ashby’s scouts made their appearance this morning early on the high wooded ridge on the opposite side of Stony Creek, beyond Edinburg.  They were fired on by some of the 29th Pa., when Ashby unmasked four guns and threw several shells into the camp.  He subsequently retreated under the fire of our guns.

During the day they frequently interfered with our bridge builders, by shelling them at long range.  The foot of the bridge, however, has been completed, and our skirmishers are now on the other side beyond the town.

Lieut. Daff and two privates of Ashby’s cavalry, were captured yesterday, while carrying dispatches, but refused to divulge the contents or tell who they were.

In a late intercepted letter from a rebel officer, the writer speaks significantly of the anticipated open rebellion in Maryland.  This is regarded as one of the means resorted to by secession leaders to dupe their followers.

Ashby’s artillery was reinforced to-day by two or more heavy guns, with which they practiced on us at long range.

Gen. Banks is here and Shields is at Strasburg.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Friday Morning, April 4, 1862, p. 1

No comments: