Summary:
Union General Franz Sigel writes to General Grant with information taken from
Confederate prisoners in April, 1864. Sigel reports that Confederate General
Elzey, commanding at Staunton, received authorization from Lee to reinforce his
command. The prisoners also discuss other Confederate troop movements.
Lieut.-Gen. GRANT:
MARTINSBURG,
April 27, 1864--11 a. m.
(Received 3.30 p. m.)
Six rebel prisoners, of Gilmor's battalion, were brought in yesterday. I examined them. They wish to be exchanged and go back to the Southern army, with the exception of an Irishman, a sailor, who wishes to take the oath of allegiance. I had a private interview with him and he says the following:
Longstreet's troops were encamped on last Saturday between Charlottesville and Gordonsville, on his way to Lee. He says that 2 men came from Richmond to join Gilmor's battalion, at Mount Jackson. They told him that Roland (?) was on the Peninsula, and that Wise has taken command at Charleston. Opinion prevails in the South that we have got tired of Charleston. He assures me that there is no truth in the rumor of Johnston having joined Lee's army; at least there was nothing known about it at Staunton and in the valley. He says that Gen. Elzey, at Staunton, is authorized to strengthen his division, assisted by Marshal Kane, of Baltimore, from all Marylanders of Lee's army and other commands, but that Lee refused to let them go. Imboden has been made a major-general, and Gilmor is before a court-martial for robbing citizens on the railroad instead of destroying bridges and cars, when he made his last raid.
Our cavalry had a successful skirmish yesterday at Springfield, north of Romney.
FRANZ SIGEL,
Maj.-Gen.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 33, Serial No. 60, Pages 998, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
