WAR TIME STORY OF DAHLGREN'S RAID.
Gallant Defence of Richmond by Departmental Battalion.
The very interesting account of the Dahlgren raid, by Prof. John Pollard, which appeared in this column two weeks ago, has called forth many comments and recollections of that famous event of the war.
There is talk of holding a reunion of those living who took part in the exciting work of heading off and driving away from Richmond the raiders under Dahlgren. These facts make anything on the subject interesting.
Col. John W. Anderson has furnished us with the following clipping from the Richmond Sentinel, a wartime paper bearing date March 3rd, 1864.
The account is given just as it appeared in the Sentinel. It will be seen that this is the continuation of a story of the day before. It is a pity the first installment has not been preserved. But here is the second installment.
Our last account represented the column of the enemy that had been repulsed on the Brook Turnpike, as having crossed the Chickahominy in full retreat, and having encamped on Tuesday night near Mechanicsville. They were attacked in camp by Gen. Hampton, who put them to flight, with the capture of seventy or eighty, and a large number of horses. The remainder yesterday made their way down towards Piping Tree Ferry on the Pamunkey.
The column that appeared on the road that comes into the city from the West, lost no time after their repulse on Tuesday night in hastening after their comrades of the other column. On yesterday they crossed the Chickahominy, and at half-past four in the afternoon found themselves confronted at the Old Church by a small body of Colonel Bradley T. Johnson's Maryland Cavalry.
