From Gen. Lee's army.
We have some further particulars of the recent skirmishing along our lines. On Thursday, the 17th, the Stonewall brigade was sent out beyond our lines to destroy a certain bridge on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and to tear up the track. The enemy, who, at that time, crossed the river in force, perceiving this, attacked them with overwhelming numbers, and they were compelled to fall back, with the loss of several men. Col. Ronside, of the 4th Virginia Regiment, who was at that time acting Brigadier General, is now in Winchester, severely wounded. On Friday morning the enemy, seeing the smoke of a bare which was accidentally fired near our lines, and supposing that we were burning our commissary stores for a precipitate retreat, made an advance along the whole lines but finding that our forces were prepared to meet them, and that our army advanced at the same time to meet them, they declined an engagement, and the main body of their army again fell back beyond the Potomac. When this was made known, our army went back to their camp well contented. They are now resting quietly.A dash was made by our cavalry on a dwelling below Charlestown, on the 19th instant, of which a correspondent sends us the following account, and a copy of a letter to Wm. H. Seward, written by his nephew, which was captured by our men. Our correspondent says:
‘ Our men were a little too late, as all the blue birds had flown to the woods about fifteen minutes before. But in their hasty retreat, the Yankees left behind a package of letters, &c., just made up for the North, to be sent via Harper's Ferry. Through the kindness of Corporal M. who made the capture. I have been allowed to copy the following, which will be found exceedingly rich. It seems to have been written by a nephew of Seward, but there is nothing to explain what is his position in the army.
’
The letter.
Dear Uncle
I send you half a dozen copies of various of the Richmond papers, captured by some of our cavalry last night. By reading them you will see that the rebels are not yet fully convinced that they have not been routed in Kentucky! The Whig's editorial says it never expected success there while the rebel army was under such incompetent Generals! And the Examiner is still in a state of painful anxiety about the battle of Perryville!
It seems that they have received dispatches from General Forrest, and numerous other Southern sources, telling of their victory; but Bragg's official report has not been received, and they have seen the Federal papers, and as these do not admit a defeat to the Union army, the Southerners really doubt whether any has occurred! Is not this another evidence of the wisdom of your policy in regard to the Northern press? Gen. Scott was right in saying that falsification was a necessary part of the machinery of war. In this war it is a powerful aid, as the Southern press republish and seem to credit so much of what we choose to give to our papers.
Push your policy as to the press still further.--Make them state every fight a glorious victory and stick to it. It will do great good North and South. No time for more now. Bob Verplanck is here and well.
