July 1, 1863, The New York Herald
Intelligence from Pennsylvania and Maryland continues of the most exciting character.
From despatches received from Harrisburg yesterday afternoon it was thought that General Ewell’s whole corps, supported by portions of the forces of Longstreet and Hill, in all forty thousand men, would move on Harrisburg last evening, or certainly today.
The rebels were reported to have left York yesterday in the direction of Harrisburg at eight o’clock in the morning. The demand made upon the citizens by General Ewell was met with a supply of $30,000 in cash and subsistence. The rebel General gave them twenty days to fill up the balance. Private property was rigidly respected by the enemy, and no families were molested, neither was the railroad property disturbed. The rebel force numbered eight thousand, with eighteen pieces of artillery. The party which occupied Wrightsville was only three thousand, with five pieces of artillery. The rebels have also moved from Carlisle.
It was reported at Reading, Pa., yesterday that the enemy had crossed the Susquehanna at Columbia, and at Perryville, forty miles above Harrisburg. It is pretty certain, however, that they have not crossed at the former place. It was ascertained that a portion of General Lee’s army has passed down the valley towards Shippensburg, including about forty pieces of artillery. General Ewell and General Earley appeared to be concentrating their forces for an attack on Harrisburg, while General Lee’s army is falling back to meet General Meade.
It was stated and is probably true, that the rebel forces are retiring from the Susquehanna to concentrate upon General Meade, an attack from whom is now expected almost hourly.
General Meade’s army is in full motion, in what direction it is not advisable to state. Sufficient to say that all the rebels who had been invading Montgomery county, Maryland, for the past few days have disappeared; that they have retired also from Mariottsville and Sykesville; that the road to Frederick is now open; that General Meade has relieved both Washington and Baltimore from immediate danger, and that there is now not a rebel within thirty miles of either city. It may be that the forces on both sides are concentrating for a desperate contest.
A map on another page illustrates the whole theatre of the new rebel campaign in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.
Rumors were flying all over the country yesterday that several changes in the Cabinet and in the command of the army were about to take place. It was said that General Butler was to take charge of Mr. Stanton’s portfolio in the War Department, and that General McClellan had been appointed Commander-in-Chief in place of General Halleck. It would appear that efforts are being made to bring about these changes, but the reports of their consummation are no doubt premature.
The advance of General Rosecrans’ army southwards from Murfreesboro promises to be as successful as his first collision with the enemy in the mountain gaps, which even the rebel journals admit to have been disastrous to their side. Despatches from Manchester, Tennessee, last night, state that Bragg’s army has been compelled to abandon its strongly fortified position north of Duck river, and is making a hasty retreat to Tullahoma, where, no doubt, a general engagement will ensue, as the Union army was pressing on after them. The condition of the roads after the late heavy rains is considerably retarding the advance of General Rosecrans. We give a map today of the strategic position of General Bragg, the approaches to Tullahoma, and the route to Chattanooga.
Our correspondence from New Orleans by the steamship Columbia yesterday is very interesting. It contains advices to the 24th, and news from Port Hudson to the 22d. Our troops had a collision with the rebels in the Attakapas country, and defeated them at Lafourche crossing after a pretty brisk fight. The rebels intended to threaten New Orleans and Algiers, but were discomfitted.
The latest news from Port Hudson and Vicksburg, however, comes by way of Cairo, dated yesterday. At that time General Grant had taken another of the enemy’s forts on the left. Fighting was going on all day Thursday in the rear of Vicksburg, in the Yazoo region, and one of the rebel works was blown up there with a fearful explosion. Port Hudson was not taken, although news to that effect was received by General Grant on Tuesday night.
The rebel accounts of affairs at Vicksburg are only to the 24th. They represent the defeat of Gen. Grant on the 22d inst., with a loss of 10,000 men, in an attempt to storm the works along the whole line, and that he was then in full retreat. The later news tells a different story.
Considerable alarm exists in Kentucky and Ohio in anticipation of a rebel raid. It was reported that 15,000 of the enemy, under Generals Pegram and Marshall, were advancing into Kentucky by Cumberland Gap. The Common Council of Cincinnati waited upon General Burnside yesterday with regard to the defences of that city.