| From the Richmond Sentinel |
| |
| December 7, 1864 |
| |
| The Raid on Stony Creek {on
the Petersburg RR} |
| [From the Petersburg Express] |
| In their recent raid on Stony Creek, the
enemy avoided the Nottoway river bridge, making a long detour to pass
around it. This bridge is strongly guarded, and they would have met
with such resistance there as to have so delayed their progress, that
in all probability the movement on Stony Creek would have proved a
failure, if not a disaster. We are glad to state that the destruction
of stores at the Creek was not so heavy as at first stated. The enemy
did not find as large a collection there as he had anticipated, and
did not succeed in destroying one-half of what he found. The force,
which consisted of cavalry and artillery, was evidently very much
scared, else the work of destruction would doubtless have been much
more complete. To be sure the bridge was burned, as also were the
public buildings, but the Yankees did not remain to see that all the
stores they contained were burned or damaged beyond use. They were in
a hurry to get away, for fear our invincible cavalry would swoop down
upon them and were in actual retreat when W. H. F. Lee's division
arrived in sight. By the opportune arrival of these troops, much of
the corn, which would otherwise have been destroyed, was saved, in an
undamaged condition. |
| Gen. Lee at once pushed after the raiders,
and endeavored by every means to bring them to an engagement, but in
vain. They retired as rapidly as their horses could carry them, and
when too hotly pressed, the rear guard would stop to skirmish and then
retreat again. Gen. Lee pursued them for a distance of eight miles
from Stony Creek, and then returned, having captured some prisoners
and forced them to abandon their dead and wounded. |
| Our works were incomplete at Stony Creek and
defended by a force entirely inadequate to the importance of the
position. We had no guns mounted to resist the advance of an attacking
party, and hence the capture of the place, assaulted as it was by such
a large force -- a division of cavalry -- was rendered comparatively
easy. The enemy also captured a portion of a working party of negroes,
who were there at the time. |
| The railroad depot, water tanks, etc.,
were destroyed, but considering the mischief they enemy could have
inflicted and what they actually did, the raid may be regarded as a
failure. As an offset to Ra??'s brilliant performance on the Baltimore
& Ohio railroad, it sinks into insignificance. |
|