| From the Raleigh Register |
| |
| August 1, 1863 |
| |
| From the Petersburg Express |
| Attempted Raid on the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad |
| From accounts received by the Weldon train
which reached here yesterday at 2:30 p. m., the information we gave in
Tuesday's Express, of an attempted raid on the road {Petersburg
RR} somewhere between
here and Weldon, is confirmed. On Tuesday afternoon about 4 o'clock,
our advanced pickets reported the enemy advancing, in numbers
variously estimated at from 1,000 to 1,500. Our skirmishers
encountered the advance of the enemy at Boone's Mill, in Northampton
county, eight miles from Garysburg, and poured such a destructive fire
into the ranks of the invaders, as caused them to check their speed
considerably. The skirmishing was kept up, at intervals, with
considerable vigor until 11 p. m., when the enemy retired entirely out
of sight. Finding all efforts to reach the road by this route
unavailing, Gen. Ransom suspected they would endeavor to reach the
Meherrin Bridge at Hicksford, by the Murfreesboro' road, and
immediately caused a regiment and battery to move from that point.
Yesterday at 12 o'clock, when the train from Weldon reached Jarratt's
depot, ten miles north of Hicksford, artillery firing was heard in the
direction of the county road approaching the Ford, and apparently some
fifteen miles or more distant. We think it quite probable that our
troops had encountered the enemy coming in that direction, as the
General commanding had suspected. |
| It is stated that in addition to the force
which moved out from Suffolk, that a large number of Yankees landed at
Murfreesboro', N. C., on Sunday night last, where they proceeded to
rob the citizens, and collect all the negroes they could put their
hands upon. |
| Garysburg and vicinity was filled on
Tuesday with fleeing citizens from Murfreesboro', N. C., Jackson, N.
C., and other places situated in the route of the invaders. As many
came on horse-back, in buggies, carriages, wagons, etc., it afforded
an excellent opportunity for Gen. Ransom to supply himself with
horses. He pressed all the animals, put mounted infantry on them, and
was thus enabled to send a large force in pursuit of the raiders. |
| So far, the road between this city and
Weldon has not been reached at any point by the Vandals, and the
trains are running regularly through as usual. The Government has
ample force to protect the road and intends to do so, but we hope that
at least a portion of the villains who are thus invading our soil, and
destroying the property of our people, will be captured. If they are
not killed, there is now a prospect of their being kept in confinement
at Richmond for some time to come. |
|