Northern papers of the 4th instant furnish some additional accounts of interest, which we give below:
The mine explosion at Petersburg.
The papers have a great deal about the recent explosive demonstration of
Grant at
Petersburg, but not in the same tone in which they first heralded the news of the disastrous reception of the "gallant" charge of the "colored brigade." A correspondent says:
‘
But the rebels, exasperated as we know them now to have been at the sight of the negroes, fought with the fury of devils, and reinforcements coming to their aid — our signal officers counted six brigades, hurried from a camp beyond the town — the tide of battle turned.
The colored troops gave way, broke in confusion, when the rebels, having repulsed their charge, charged them in turn, and then they ran, a terror-stricken, disordered mass of fugitives, to the rear of the white troops.
In vain their officers endeavored to rally them with all the persuasion of tongue, sabre and pistol.
Whatever of discredit attaches to the troops themselves, their officers are beyond reproach.
’
The Baltimore
Gazette, in a summary of the result of the attack, says:
‘
It is, of course, entirely too early to obtain anything more than a general idea of the loss sustained by the
Federal troops.
The actual number of the killed and wounded and missing will, in all probability, be left to conjecture for some time yet to come, and can only be learned hereafter by those who have access to the archives of the War Department.
It is probably true, as the telegram from
Washington asserts, that the exact loss in the battle of Saturday has not been officially ascertained.
Unofficially, however, we are told that the killed and wounded are estimated at about two thousand five hundred; the number missing — that is to say, all of those huddled together in the ruined fort, and there captured, and all of those lying in the open space under the enemy's guns — not being computed at all. It is further stated that the rough estimate of the killed and wounded may possibly be found to be below the mark, as many persons believe that the figures, when carefully summed up, will indicate that the casualties in these two classes will be heavier.
’
According to the correspondent of the New York
Tribune, the very fort upon whose destruction so much preparatory labor had been expended was converted into a perfect slaughter pen, in which two thousand men were huddled together, unable to advance or retreat, and were exposed for hours to an incessant storm of grape, canister and musketry. "It was impossible," says the writer, "to rally the men thus piled together in the pit made by the explosion.
When ordered to charge they were immovable, lying in some places on top of each other, afraid to stir an inch, whilst the shells of the rebels falling among them, dealt death on all sides." Of the men thus fearfully assailed, a part attempted to regain the
Federal lines, but were shot down in the act of retreating, the ground in front of the ranks being literally covered with the dead and wounded.
According to the correspondent of the Philadelphia
Inquirer, at Frederick City,
General Breckinridge has been called to
Richmond by special orders, his corps being now commanded by
General Ransom.
General Bradley T. Johnson is said to have succeeded
Ransom in command of the Confederate cavalry,
Imboden's men forming an independent organization.
During the raid of
McCausland into
Chambersburg some of his men were taken prisoners; and one of his officers, it is said, was seized by the infuriated citizens and stamped to death.
The
Harrisburg Intelligencer asserted that the officer so killed was
Major Harry Gilmor.
The fact that an officer was killed appears to be confirmed; but by a later dispatch from
Harrisburg, it is equally certain that the officer was not
Major Gilmor.
The latest advices from New Orleans are to the 29th ultimo.
Some skirmishes had occurred during the previous week opposite
Natchez and some thirty miles from
Baton Rouge, in which the
Yankees claim to have been successful.
It was rumored at New Orleans, just before the steamer left that port, that the
Confederates were advancing on
Morganzia, near the mouth of
Red river, (some forty miles,) and troops were at once sent up the river to reinforce the garrison at that point.
The following is the latest contained in the papers of the 4th from
Sherman's army:
A telegram from
Washington announces that dispatches from
Sherman's army had been received, which state that there has been no-fighting recently before
Atlanta.
General Buford, in command of the
Federal troops stationed at
Helena, Arkansas, is said to have been placed in a precarious position in consequence of the presence of a large Confederate force in his immediate vicinity.
An expedition, composed of a negro regiment of infantry, a portion of the Fifteenth Illinois, cavalry and a colored battery, encountered, recently, the
Confederates under
Dobbin, and after a short engagement the
Federal troops were compelled to fall back, but without sustaining any considerable loss.
By way of
St. Louis, it is announced that
Kirby Smith was supposed to be attempting to cross to the east side of the
Mississippi, but at what point was either not known, or is not mentioned.
Marmaduke, however, was crossing his men, in small squads, in the neighborhood of James's Landing.
On the 10th ultimo,
Shelby, who, with his command, was at Scarcy, between
Little Rock and
Batesville, captured one hundred and eighty of the Tenth Illinois cavalry.
General Carr was in command of the
Federal troops at
Little Rock, whilst
Generals Lee and
Gordon, from
Louisiana, were at the mouth of
White river with reinforcements for
General Stecle.
Comments of the New York Press on the battle of Petersburg.
[from the New York Times.]
The attempt on the lines of
Petersburg on Saturday did not result in a success.
It was an effort whose success or failure must occur at once, and must at once be apparent.
It was of the nature of a
coup de main, or a sudden effort or enterprise, which, though it might embrace many parts and much laborious preparation, must necessarily come to-a conclusion very quickly after it was fairly got under way.
[from the Herald.]
As usual in most cases, it appears that the secret of
General Grant's mining operations was discovered too soon by the enemy, and it also appears that there was some blundering and shortcomings here and there in the assault and after the mine was fired.
The prominent fact before us is, that a grand surprise and a general assault, in the preparations for which much time and labor were expended, and in the execution of which many valuable lives have been lost, have not resulted in the success which was anticipated.
[from the New York World.]
Richmond has passed conspicuously into the same category with
Charleston — a town that has foiled the most colossal attempt the Administration could organize for its capture. * * We cannot take
Richmond.
It has been evident to good judges for several weeks that
General Grant's campaign is a failure; but though an adverse fate had the deed drawn and signed, it lacked the seal of final authentication which was impressed upon it in the battle of Saturday.
Indeed, the problem is no longer the destruction of
Lee's army and the capture of
Richmond, or even the capture of
Petersburg, but the defence of loyal States against the rebel armies.
No doubt
General Grant will keep a large force operating on the
James river, but we can never afford to present to the world the spectacle of an enemy marching unhindered through our own territory.
