Wednesday, July 18, 2012

From The Potomac


WASHINGTON, March 11. – Official information to-day reports that the enemy were encamped back off and below Occoquan.  They have retreated destroying everything they could not carry on their backs.  They left on Saturday, our troops took possession this morning and were welcomed by a part of the inhabitants with great joy.  Every boat in the vicinity and everything that would float had been destroyed.

The rebels told the villagers that they were going to fall back to the Rappahannock.

A call of the Government on the militia of the State for 10,000 men was proclaimed on the streets of Occoquan on the 9th inst., by an official who immediately departed.

Nearly all the able bodied men of the village left with the rebel army.  A few refused to go.

The rebel force which has thus retreated was composed of three Louisiana, one Mississippi, and the Hampton Legion.

Com. Vanderbilt gave notice to-day to the Postmaster General that they would carry the Central American and the south Pacific mails in his line steamers provided he could be protected against parties who were carrying the California mails over his line for which w receives no payment.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 15, 1862, p. 4

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