Summary:
Union Assistant Secretary of War Charles A. Dana writes Secretary of War Edwin
Stanton in June, 1864, with information obtained from a refugee from Richmond.
The refugee discussed the poor condition of Richmond, the capture of Staunton,
and the death of the Confederate General defending the town.
Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.
Cold Harbor, Va.,
June 9, 1864--noon. (Received 1.30 p.m., 10th.)
I subjoin a communication just send in from Col. Sharpe, deputy provost-marshal-general, to chief of staff, Army of the Potomac: Among prisoners sent in during the night we have a German refugee from Richmond, a man of weak intellect and not intelligent. His statements, as far as they go, are made with apparent truth and simplicity. He left Richmond on the Brook pike Monday morning, passing Yellow Tavern, thence out, say 15 miles, from Richmond, when he bent his course to the right and came into our cavalry. His statements regarding the condition of the city, absence of troops there, closing of departments and stores, location of the reserve supplies of pork and flour, influx of citizens from the part of the State north of Richmond, of the capture of Staunton, and death of the general commanding there, failure of provisions during time Petersburg and Danville road was lately held or cut by us, are substantially the same as information received from refugee a few days ago, and reported with that received yesterday concerning Hunter. This man in passing up the Brook pike passed no troops after leaving the immediate defenses of Richmond. We have also 3 men from Ransom's (North Carolina) brigade (lately belonging to Beauregard's command), who have come to our lines with the avowed purpose of availing themselves of the President's proclamation. One of them is a sergeant, and a man of considerable intelligence. Ransom's brigade came from the Bluff on the 4th instant, passed to the right of Bridge, on the Chickahominy. On arriving there it relieved the Richmond City battalion, which was understood to return within the line of the city defenses. Ransom's brigade consists of five regiments, which has not seen hard service since it left Lee's army in January, 1863, and averages 450 to 500 men to the regiment. Sergeant estimates the brigade at 3,000. He knows of Hoke's division (formerly Whiting's) having joined Lee before his brigade left Beauregard. He says it was understood when Ransom left that but one division, of three or four brigades (he does not know which), was left in front of Gen. Butler. He heard his officers generally talk about it, and express themselves to that effect. It is a division known as Bushrod Johnson's. Below position now occupied by Ransom's brigade he says there is nothing but cavalry. Fitzhugh Lee's division is represented to be about 2,500 strong. What above Ransom's he cannot tell. Says during time Butler occupied railroad there was failure of meat in the issues to troops, and great scarcity of flour.
Principal facts stated above are confirmed by various other evidence, and are most probably correct.
C. A. DANA.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 36, Serial No. 67, Pages 93, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
