Today in History:

686 Series I Volume XLII-III Serial 89 - Richmond-Fort Fisher Part III

Page 686 OPERATIONS IN SE. VA. AND N. C. Chapter LIV.

Division alone and was made up as follows: From the One hundredth New York Volunteers, 75 men; Twenty-fourth Massachusetts, 175; Sixty-second Ohio, 230; One hundred and ninety-ninth Pennsylvania, 20. I respectfully request permission to so change this detail as to make it consist of two complete organizations, amounting in the whole to the same number of men.

I have the honor to be, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

ALFRED H. TERRY,

Brevet Major-General.

CITY POINT, VA., November 23, 1864.

Lieutenant General U. S. GRANT,

Washington, D. C.:

General Meade forwards the following despatch from General Hancock, and says it is all the intelligence he has to communicate at present; that-

Johnson has a South Carolina brigade in his division formerly commanded by Evans, now by Elliott. If any troops are detached by Lee, it would probably be South Carolina and Georgia troops; if they have been sent, they have undoubtedly gone by rail, and intelligence of their departure ought to be received through our Richmond scouts.

I have no information from Buttler; suppose you have instructed him to communicate with you direct, and that he is acting in obedience thereto. I have informed General Meade you will be here to-morrow.

JNumbers A. RAWLINS,

Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.

OFFICE OF THE PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL, ARMIES OPERATING AGAINST RICHMOND, VA., November 23, 1864.

Major-General HUMPHREYS,

Chief of Staff:

GENERAL: By our agent, who left Richmond yesterday shortly after noon, we learn that Kershaw's division is lying two miles and a half below Richmond, between the stage road and the Charles City road. Bryan's brigade is camped on the Williamsburg road. The provost guard of the division came out of Richmond yesterday morning, and these were the last troops that have passed through the town. There was a camp rumor yesterday in Kershaw's division, overheard by our agent, who stopped in Bryan's brigade, that they were going to Georgia, but he learned nothing to justify such an opinion. No other troops have come from Early, and our friends in Richmond send us word that they have not been able to detect any preparations for it. One of our friends saw a man who left Early's command last Friday, and nothing was gathered from him to show the any more of Early's troops were coming this way. Nothing could be learned in Richmond of Breckinridge's command or its movements. It was quite certain that none of it was arriving in this direction. One of our friends yesterday saw an old acquaintance of his, a teamster belonging to General Wade Hampton's headquarters. He had come direct from General Hampton's headquarters, on the right of the enemy's line, and in a lengthy con-


Page 686 OPERATIONS IN SE. VA. AND N. C. Chapter LIV.