| From the Richmond Dispatch |
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| May 5, 1863 |
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| The Yankee cavalry raid |
| We gave yesterday such reports of the
operations of Yankee cavalry upon the railroads above Richmond as were
then in our possession. It appears that after having destroyed some
portion of the track of the {Virginia} Central
road, a detachment of the same party moved on towards the
Fredericksburg railroad {Richmond,
Fredericksburg & Potomac RR}, near Ashland, reaching there
on Sundaymorning. There they remained in ambuscade, to wait for the
trains which they knew must soon arrive. In the afternoon an ambulance
train came on from the direction of Fredericksburg, and the engineer
was somewhat startled by a sudden salute of fire-arms, while a number
of bullets passed in unpleasant proximity to the locomotive
. The engineer fell as if wounded, when the Yankees approached,
and finding him unhurt compelled him to proceed on to Ashland with the
train; but soon after arriving there he effected his escape, and came
on to Richmond the same night. |
| Besides the sick and wounded on the
ambulance train, there were a number of citizens of Richmond,
including Col. S. Bassett French, Aid to Gov. Letcher, and a few
ladies. They were treated with comparative kindness by the marauders,
who were commanded by one Col. Davis, claiming to be a native of King
George county, Va. It is stated that they did not disturb the invalid
soldiers, but left the ambulance train unharmed, though they destroyed
a wood train and the locomotives "Thomas Sharp" and
"Nicholas Mills." We are unadvised as to the extent of the
damage to the track; but since the raiders seemed to be in a great
hurry to depart, it is presumed to be inconsiderable. |
| From Ashland they proceeded to Hungary
Station {on the Richmond, Fredericksburg &
Potomac}, nine miles from Richmond, and passed the night in
that vicinity. Here they destroyed some railroad property. It is
believed, however, that the connection through by this route will be
very speedily re-established. |
| ***** |
| At Hanover Court House {on
the Virginia Central RR} they destroyed a considerable quantity
of Government stores, a train of freight cars, and some buildings. At
Peake's Station, on the Central railroad, they cut the telegraph
wires, and probably inflicted some damage upon the road. |
| They proceeded on yesterday morning to the
famous Meadow Bridges, on the Chickahominy, a locality which their
army evacuated in great haste on a former occasion. The Chicahominy it
here crossed by the Central railroad, and it happened that about the
time of their visit yesterday, the locomotive
"Augusta," with Conductor Phillips and Engineer
Crone, was approaching the spot on a reconnoitering expedition. The
Yankees had the locomotive nearly
surrounded before they were discovered, but the conductor and engineer
succeeded in effecting their escape through the swamp. Two negroes
remained with the locomotive, but
afterwards escaped and got back to the city. The Yankees sat fire to
the bridge, which is an inconsiderable structure, and as it burnt the
engine was precipitated into the water. The "Augusta" is an
old engine, of small size. |
| ***** |
| We hear that they attempted to strike the {Richmond
&} York River railroad at Tunstall's yesterday afternoon,
but were met and driven back by a portion of Wise's brigade. Their
damages to the railroads are by no means so extensive as at first
reported, but that it should have been permitted to progress so far is
a matter that puzzles everybody. |
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