Custar's Raid.
[correspondence of Richmond Dispatch.]Custar came from Culpeper by way of Madison Court House and Stanardsville to Charlottesville. That he should have been permitted thus to turn our left flank is unquestionably a subject for just boast on his part, and much regret on ours. When within four miles of Charlottesville it is true that he surprised, not a cavalry camp, (for we had none at that point,) but an artillery camp. In the confusion which ensued they succeeded in blowing up one caisson. They called a halt to plunder a camp and whilst engaged in this delightful occupation Capt. Braith white placed his battery, of Stuart's horse artillery, hurriedly in position, and opened on the enemy with grape and canister. At the second fire the enemy fell back across the Rivanna river, the bridge over which, as well as the Rio Mille, situated on the edge of the stream at this point, they burnt.
Major R F. Mason had also improvised supports made up of furloughed and convalescents from the hospitals, at Charlottesville, and these armed with sticks, and lock muskets, in conjunction with Capt. B, drove the enemy off. As soon as Capt B. found that the enemy were retreating he detached horaes from his artillery, and mounting his men hastily upon them, he started in pursuit and followed them as far as Stanardsville.
Stuart did not attack them with 2,000 cavalry: on the contrary he had not a man over 400, whilst they, by their own showing bail 1,500 picked men.
If they captured any prisoners, the number, I am officially assured, could not have exceeded one dozen. Our loss in killed and wounded were, perhaps, as many more.--Their statement that they lost not a man, is known to be false, as we captured several prisoners. They doubtless did "steal, take, and feloniously carry away" from noncombatant citizens some two or three hundred horse; but from our soldiers in arms they captured none. It is literally true that they burnt three flouring mills owned by private citizens, and grinding not on Government account, but for private citizens. That they succeeded in diverting attention from Kilpatrick is true; but that this is all they sought to accomplish is disproved by the papers found on Dahlgren, and by the statements they made to citizens whom they captured and afterwards released. To these latter they said that their object was to burn the bridges over the Rivanna, destroy the stores at Charlottesville, push on to the canal, and finally meet Kilpatrick in Richmond. This latter part of their programme Gen Lee frustrated.
