General KAUTZ: HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY CORPS, The order of this a. m. directing you to report at Lee's Mill with your division is revoked. The general commanding directs that you return to your old camp, reporting for orders to Major-General Butler. JAS. W. FORSYTH, Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of Staff. HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY DIVISION, Maj. R. S. DAVIS, Assistant Adjutant-General: July 30, 1864. MAJOR: Last evening (Friday) I received an order, dated the 27th instant, to report to General Birney on (Thursday) the morning of the 28th. It was of course impossible to comply with the order at the date of its reception. I returned to my camp here at 6 o'clock this morning, but have since received orders from General Sheridan to report to him at Lee's Mill, with two days' forage and three days' rations, and shall be ready to march soon after noon. I make this report for the information of the major-general commanding the department. AUGUST V. KAUTZ, Brigadier-General, Commanding Cavalry Division. GENERAL BUTLER'S HEADQUARTERS, Brigadier-General KAUTZ, July 30, 1864. Commanding Cavalry Division, on way to Lee's Mill: (Care Major-General Humphreys, Chief of Staff.) The lieutenant-general commanding directs that you will return to your old camp-ground and report to me. BENJ. F. BUTLER, Major-General. General BUTLER: EASTVILLE, VA., July 30, 1861. I have just received intelligence that Doctor Watson and Doctor West are now in Washington requesting that this shore be assigned to General Lockwood's command. I think it proper to inform you of this. A large majority of the people on the shore are opposed to such a change. FRANK J. WHITE, Major and Provost-Marshal. Lieut. D. W. SHELLY, HEADQUARTERS, Assistant Provost-Marshal, Fortress Monroe, Va.: Some days since five or six men of one of the loyal North Carolina regiments were turned over to you by Colonel Shaffer, chief of staff. Send them as soon as possible to Brigadier General Graham, Bermuda Hundred. Answer. 44 R R-VOL XL, PT III JOHN CASSELS, Captain and Provost-Marshal. JULY 30, 1864-12.10 p. m. The provost-marshal at Norfolk will call on Judge Snead and request him to come with the provost-marshal to visit me at the front on a special boat to be sent up by Colonel Biggs for that purpose. If Judge Snead declines to come, then the provost-marshal will bring Judge Snead to me with as much gentleness as is consistent with his prompt coming. Judge Snead will start at once. Acknowledge receipt. BENJ. F. BUTLER, Major-General, Commanding. WASHINGTON, July 31, 1864-11.30 a. m. Lieutenant-General GRANT, City Point, Va.: Will the division of cavalry come armed, mounted, and ready for the field, or must they be mounted and fitted out here? H. W. HALLECK, Major-General and Chief of Staff. Lieutenant-General GRANT, WASHINGTON, July 31, 1864-3 p. m. City Point, Va.: It appears from General Averell's reports that while General Hunter was collecting his forces at Harper's Ferry to attack the enemy on the south side the rebel army crossed on the morning of the 29th near Williamsport, and moved, by Hagerstown, into Pennsylvania. Their cavalry captured and partly destroyed Chambersburg yesterday. We have no reliable information of the main body, but, if it crossed and moved as reported by Averell, it would be nearer Baltimore, Harrisburg, and York than Hunter was at Harper's Ferry. I consequently directed him to move east of South Mountain toward Emmitsburg, and sent last night, by railroad, to the Monocacy such of Emory's command as had arrived, where he would come immediately under Hunter's orders. They will probably effect a junction to-night. The weather is so intensely hot that marches will be very slow. It is possible that the enemy's infantry is merely covering his cavalry raid. Enemy's cavalry force said to be very large. Ours is so weak and poor that it gives us very little information. A very intelligent artificer of the Sixth Corps, captured at the battle of Monocacy, and who effected his escape in the Shenandoah Valley, has just come in. He says he had several good opportunities to estimate Early's force and actually counted forty-two pieces of artillery on their retreat, and thinks that, as compared with our army corps, which he has frequently seen on reviews, they numbered at least 30,000. He thinks there were two brigades of Hill's corps with Early. I do not hear that Early received any large re-enforcements in the Valley, but it is said he greatly increased his cavalry by remounts, stolen in Maryland. H. W. HALLECK, Major-General and Chief of Staff FORT MONROE, July 31, 1864-8 p. m. Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK: The cavalry going to Washington take all their horses and equip. ments with them. They will commence reaching you to-morrow. Will it not be well to land them at Alexandria? I have given no orders for this. U. S. GRANT, General MEADE, CITY POINT, July 31, 1864. Headquarters Army of the Potomac: I have been on Burnside's front to-day, and am told that among the large number of our men now lying around the crater some are still alive. As General Grant is now absent at Fort Monroe I am unable to report the fact to him without delay. C. B. COMSTOCK, Lieutenant-Colonel and Aide-de-Camp. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Lieutenant-Colonel COMSTOCK: General Grant, to whom the fact of wounded being left between our lines was communicated last night, authorized my asking to remove them under flag of truce. General Burnside was authorized this morning to endeavor to make an informal arrangement for the withdrawal of the wounded, which, if unsuccessful, he was furnished with a letter* from myself to General Lee asking the privilege. No report has been received from General Burnside. GEO. G. MEADE, General R. E. LEE, HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Commanding Army of Northern Virginia: I have the honor to request a cessation of hostilities at such time as you may indicate, sufficiently long to enable me to recover our wounded and dead in the engagement of yesterday, now lying between the lines of the two armies. I make this application that the sufferings of our wounded may be relieved and that the dead may be buried.† Very respectfully, GEO. G. MEADE, Major-General, Commanding. See next, post. See Beauregard to Meade, July 31, p. 821. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Major-General HUMPHREYS, Chief of Staff : July 31, 1864. GENERAL: Four prisoners from General Hunter's command, all personally known to me, who made their escape on the 19th, make the fol lowing report: They had been confined in the Lynchburg prison for about a month, and on the 19th were put on the cars to be sent to Georgia. They came by rail to the junction of the South Side and Danville roads, where they changed cars, and after traveling about twenty miles on the Danville road they jumped from the cars and made their escape. They saw two regiments of infantry and a battery of artillery at the High Bridge. They were at work throwing up strong fortifications on this end of the bridge and were building one large redoubt. The west end of the bridge is fortified by breast-works. The railroad has been repaired at the junction by laying down rails that had been burnt and afterward straightened. The road was in running order from Lynchburg to Petersburg. About ten miles of the Danville road south of Meherrin Station (where they left the road) has not yet been repaired. The prisoners were to leave the cars there and march the distance, where they were to take another train. After leav ing the Danville road they came in nearly a direct course to Blacks and Whites Station, on the South Side road. The Second Virginia Cavalry was stationed at that point. There is there a very large shop for building and repairing Government wagons, also a corral of disabled horses. From that point they marched to Dinwiddie CourtHouse, thence toward Reams' Station on the road running from Dinwiddie Court-House to Reams' Station; where the road crosses Rowanty Creek they saw two camps. They were told by negroes that there were 5,000 men there-infantry, cavalry, and artillery. While lying in the woods there on the night of the 28th they heard tattoo sounded by five different bugles. These troops had been camped at that place since Wilson's raid. On the morning of the 29th they crossed the Weldon railroad three miles below Reams' Station, After crossing the railroad they secreted themselves in the bushes near the railroad, where they remained all day of the 29th. They saw one train of about ten cars pass going toward Petersburg loaded with troops. There were troops in the cars and on the top of them. The cars run very slowly, and do not blow a whistle when they stop or start. They crossed through Jones' Swamp yesterday morning, and when they heard the fighting in that vicinity they came into General Gregg's lines. One of these men, who was captured on the 3d of June, while on his way to Georgia, made his escape on the 20th south of Staunton River, on the Danville road, and in attempting to join General Hunter near Lynchburg was again captured. He reports that the railroad bridge over the Staunton River is quite strongly fortified, there being a heavy work on the north side and rifle-pits on the south side of the bridge, with a battery of artillery to guard it. They bring lists of some officers and men confined in Lynchburg prison. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. MCENTEE, Captain and Assistant Provost-Marshal, HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Major-General HUMPHREYS, Chief of Staff: July 31, 1864. GENERAL: John Sannes and Daniel Cunniff, two deserters from the Second Florida, Perry's brigade, Mahone's division, who came in this morning, report that they went on picket in front of the trenches last night at 8 o'clock, and left the picket-line between 11 and 12 o'clock. They were in the trenches yesterday during the engagement, and did not move from their position. Wright's and Mahone's brigades came down from the right of their line to assist in driving our men from the works. They left a very light line in the trenches, in most places the men being in one rank. There was no reserve in rear of Mahone's division. They report that the enemy had mortars planted in a ravine in rear of the mine which did fearful execution among our men. They say there were eight mortars in rear of Johnson's division, and there are six in rear of Mahone's. They did not learn that any re-enforcements had come to them during the day, and they think that after the engagement Wright's and Mahone's brigades returned to their position on the right of the line. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JNO. MCENTEE, Captain, &c. Captain MCENTEE: CITY POINT, July 31, 1864-5 p. m. Just received ten prisoners of war captured by our cavalry late yesterday p. m. near Lee's Mill, four or five miles on easterly side of Weldon railroad. They are from Fifth and Sixth South Carolina Cavalry, Butler's present brigade, and were sent out on picket from their brigade camp, which was at Malone's Crossing, five miles below Reams' Station. Young's brigade of their division, Hampton's, was at Reams' Station, which they think was all the cavalry on the extreme right of the enemy's line. They think that Rooney Lee* was on the north side of the James, and that there was a division of cavalry between Petersburg and Richmond. Except men sent out on picket, brigade was mostly kept out foraging; horses much run down; mounted men in brigade about 1,800; the three regiments composing it being new; they thought it quite unlikely from the start he had that Sheridan would be caught. GEORGE H. SHARPE, Colonel, &c. HEADQUARTERS FIFTH ARMY CORPS, Capt. B. F. FISHER, Signal Officer : All quiet. The enemy reoccupying their lines on our left, reported weakened yesterday. Their force is apparently stronger than on Friday (29th). They continue to work on fort near Weldon railroad. J. B. DUFF, Lieutenant and Signal Officer. *W. H. F. Lee. |