June 20, 1863, The New York Herald
Great activity still prevails in Pennsylvania both among the rebels and our own forces. The rebels were, up to yesterday evening, at or near Greencastle, having retired from Chambersburg hastily and in alarm. The Eighth and Seventy-first New York Militia went to Chambersburg, to march from thence to Greencastle to dislodge the rebels. The Brooklyn Twenty-third and New York Twenty-second are ordered to cross the Susquehanna and take the place of the advancing regiments. The bridge burned by the rebels at Scotland is being reconstructed, and communication with Chambersburg will thus be renewed. The main body of the enemy engaged in the raid appear to be opposite Williamsport; and it is said that a large infantry force is at Shepherdstown, near Antietam, about to cross over, thus following out the programme of September last. Despatches from Harrisburg last night say that the rebels are eight thousand strong at Hagerstown, their force consisting of mounted infantry, artillery and cavalry. They are transporting their stores and ammunition to the north side of the river, which is supposed to indicate a determination on their part to remain and make it a base of operations.
General Milroy was said to be approaching with four thousand mounted infantry and five thousand riflemen, also in the saddle, and that a battle was imminent today. Two hundred and fifty rebel cavalry entered McConnellburg at dawn yesterday, seizing the telegraph instruments. The communication has since been restored. The rebels retired towards Hancock, Maryland. They burned the canal boats there. They were reinforced by about seven hundred infantry, who attempted to destroy a large culvert, but both parties were driven back by Colonel Gallagher with a strong cavalry force.
The news from the Army of the Potomac is not very important, although several rumors were afloat in the city yesterday that General Hooker had met a reverse on the battle field of Bull run, which could not be traced to any reliable source. As far as we are able to state no action has occurred between the two armies.
The skirmish near Aldie between our cavalry and Colonel Fitzhugh Lee’s forces, which lasted several hours on Wednesday, is described this morning in detail. The rebels were tdriven back five miles, with considerable loss. We lost Colonel Douty, of the Maine cavalry, killed, and Colonel de Cesnola, of the Fourth cavalry missing. We took seventy-four prisoners, including nine officers. The object of this expedition was to discover the whereabouts of the main force of the enemy. It has succeeded in ascertaining that the army of General Lee were concentrated in large force near that place, bodies of cavalry, infantry and artillery having been advanced to guard the passes of the Blue Ridge. It has been surmised from this reconnoissance, also, that only a small portion of Lee cavalry were engaged in the late raid into Pennsylvania, and that not more than one-third of his force is in the Shenandoah valley. Further information obtained by this important reconnoissance would lead to the belief that Lee is marching against Hooker’s army in three columns, under Longstreet, Hill and Ewell, and that news of a great battle may be momentarily expected. It is said that our army is ready for the emergency.
The movement of troops from this State for the protection of the border States is most active. Ten regiments have already left for Philadelphia and Harrisburg, and three more are under orders to start today.
Our reports from Vicksburg to Saturday morning are that General Sherman’s corps had pushed their approaches up to within twenty yards of one of the bastions of the enemy, and driven them out of their rifle pits.
On Friday the rebels cut away the timber in the rear of their lines, and opened on our troops with an eleven-inch shell and two or three siege guns. General Logan silenced their mortar with his thirty-pounder Parrotts and ninety-two pounders. Thirteen of our gunboats now guard the river between Helena and Young’s Point. The gunboat Marmora destroyed the town of Eunice on Saturday.
We give in another column an interesting account of the damage done to our merchant marine by the Alabama and Florida recently in their destructive cruise off the South American coast.