Editor’s Note: This article was transcribed by Jackie Martin.
THE NEWS FROM PETERSBURG
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From the Petersburg EXPRESS of yesterday we make up the following summary:
All was unusually quiet up to half past six o’clock Monday evening, on a part of the enemy’s lines. On other portions of the lines there was heavy skirmishing but nothing more.
SHELLING THE CITY.
All the day long, at intervals of every five minutes, his shell were thrown into the city. We heard of a little bricks and mortar being displaced, the pavements torn up in two or three streets, and in one instance a large store door on Sycamore street was unhinged. But we heard of no injury to life or limb yesterday, and the enemy probably threw an aggregate of one hundred and fifty or more shells into the city’s limits.
THE FLAGS OF TRUCE.
The flags of truce sent in by the enemy Sunday, was forwarded by Meade. He desired the privilege of burying his dead. For obvious reasons, which it is not necessary here to mention, General Beauregard courteously, but peremptorily declined to grant the requests.
THE ENEMY’S STRENGTH.
An ordinarily intelligent Teuton, who fell into our hands Saturday night, gave a statement of Grant’s forces which is believed to be in the main correct. He says Grant’s army now on the South side of James river is composed of the Second, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, Eighteenth and Twentieth corps. The Second, commanded by Hancock; the Fifth by Warren, and the Ninth by Burnside, are all operating immediately around Petersburg—The Eighteenth, commanded by Baldy Smith, is at and near Bermuda Hundreds. The Tenth and Twentieth have no regular commanders, and are held near City Point as a reserve. All these army corps have been fearfully reduced since the commencement of the present campaign, and many of the regiments composing them do not now muster two hundred men.
LATEST.
Last evening about seven o’clock, the enemy was observed to double his pickets on our extreme left—a generally sure indication of an attack on his part. Up to one o’clock this morning no engagement had occurred, but there was much picket firing going on.1
Source:
- “The News from Petersburg.” Richmond Examiner. June 22, 1864, p. 3 col. 6 ↩