The following articles are from the The New York Times, dated August 31, 1864:

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From the Petersburgh Register, Aug. 27.

 

          Early yesterday morning, rumors came thick and fast of the battle on the Weldon Road, on Thursday. Some had it that the enemy had been driven from the road in utter rout, and many thousand prisoners captured. Others had it that the number of prisoners was as high as 7,600, and the number of cannon captured was put as high as 20. From information gathered at headquarters, and from other sources, we learned that about 8 o'clock on Thursday morning Gen. HAMPTON's cavalry attacked a body of Yankee cavalry, under the command of the notorious SPEARS, who were engaged in destroying the road about four miles beyond Ream's Station. They were soon routed and driven with considerable loss back upon their infantry support at Ream's, where they were strongly fortified. About 5 o'clock Gen. A.P. HILL attacked them in their works at Ream's, and, after a severe fight of two hours, succeeded in capturing their works, about two thousand prisoners and nine pieces of artillery. Up to nine o'clock last night there had been brought in and registered at the office of Provost-Marshal BRIDGEFORD seventeen hundred and six privates and seventy-seven officers, the highest rank being that of Lieutenant-Colonel. It was reported that there was a Brigadier-General, but this was ascertained to be a mistake, and the report originated from the fact that an officer surrendered as a Brigadier-General, but turned out to be only a Lieutenant-Colonel in command of a brigade. This was a Col. CUSTIS. We hear that Gen. HANCOOK's Adjutant-General was captured last night, he having ridden into our lines by mistake. Gen. HILL drove the enemy some two miles, inflicting on him heavy loss in killed and wounded, besides the prisoners, with a loss estimated at about one thousand in killed and wounded. Most of the wounds are said to be slight. The enemy is represented to have fought with more than usual bravery, and our troops were at one time checked in their advance. Falling down they waited until supports came up, when they rallied and with irresistible fury charged the enemy from his works, which are now occupied by us. We are informed that the road has been destroyed all the way from DAVIS' to four miles beyond Ream's, which is some eleven or twelve miles.

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Correspondence of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

 

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Friday, Aug. 26, 1864.

 

          The action at Ream's Station, in which, on our side, the First and Second Divisions, Second Corps, were engaged yesterday, is an event of which I hardly know how to speak. Many look upon it as a disaster, and there are some reasons for regarding it in that light if we were to consider it without regard to the other side of the picture, the punishment inflicted on the enemy. But when we recollect that in three successive charges the enemy was repulsed with great slaughter, and that their losses in killed and wounded greatly outnumbered ours, it is evident that our occasion for regret is on account of the adverse moral effect of a reverse more than the losses actually entailed thereby. Even the guns they captured were nearly paid for in killed and wounded, and we can far better afford to lose guns than they can afford to lose men.

           The Second Corps had but just returned from the extreme right on the James River, when, on Monday morning, the First and Second Divisions of it were started off on a long, wet and muddy march to the extreme left, on the Weldon Railroad. From that time up to yesterday they had been hard at work tearing up the railroad, burning the ties, twisting the rails, leveling embankments, destroying bridges and culverts, and as thorougly as possible demolishing everything that could be of any service to the enemy in facilitating the repair of the road, in case it should again fall into their hands. This work had been completely accomplished to a point between three and four miles south of Ream's Station, making in all ten miles of road, or a little over that distance, effectually destroyed.

          The First Division, under Gen. MILES, which had been at work south of Ream's Station, returned to the intrenchments at that place on Wednesday evening. These intrenchments were the same thrown up by the Sixth Corps when sent out there to meet WILSON's Cavalry, near the end of June. Of course this position was only held temporarily, for the purpose of destroying the road in the vicinity, and was to have been abandoned as soon as that object was accomplished, it being too distant, and requiring too great an extension of our line to admit of our holding it permanently, even had it been desirable. Being seven miles further south than the position held by Geo. WARREN, it was detached from it, and its abandonment does not in any way effect the latter, which we still hold firmly in our grasp.

          On Thursday morning Gen. GIBBON's division was to have moved southward from Ream's Station, to continue the destruction of the road still further toward Stony Creek, but Col. SPEAR's brigade of KAUTZ's cavalry, which was picketing in that direction, being attacked by the enemy, and this circumstance intimating the probability that our operations on the railroad might meet with interruption, the order to move out was countermanded. Subsequently the opinion that the only force the enemy had there was cavalry, appears to have been formed, and Gen. GIBBON was again ordered to move down the road, which he commenced to do at about 9 1/2 A.M., Col. SMITH's brigade having the advance and a regiment of GREGG's cavalry preceding the division.

          Starting along the road running to the left or east of the railroad, they turned to the right and crossed the latter about half a mile below Ream's, and had not proceeded half a mile further before the cavalry was checked by meeting a line of rebel skirmishers. Col. SMITH then deployed as skirmishers the First Delaware Regiment, supported by the Twelfth New-Jersey Regiment in rear, and the Tenth New-York on the right flank. Advancing this skirmish line parallel with that on the right of the railroad, its left flank resting near the same, Col. SMYTH pushed back the enemy's skirmishers until, on arriving in sight of a narrow swampy range extending from the railroad obliquely to the right, and with its acute angle on the side next to [???], he found their troops in line of battle beyond it and protected by small breastworks.

          The enemy immediately charged upon our skirmishers, and drove them back to our main body. Col. SMYTH now reported to Gen. GIBBON the fact that the enemy had a considerable force of infantry present, and awaited further instructions. He was ordered to push forward again and ascertain what force there was opposed to us, and accordingly deploying the Seventh Virginia, (Union,) Fourth Ohio and Fourteenth Connecticut, he advanced, and again drove back the enemy to the ravine, and at that point was again brought to a stand and compelled to retire. This was between 1 and 2 o'clock P.M.

          About an hour later skirmishing commenced in front of the First Division, which occupied the works of Ream's Station. The pickets of the division were driven in, and a charge was then made on the intrenchments, which, however, was quickly repulsed. The form of this line of intrenchments is that of a semi-circle, a segment of which includes a section of the railroad, the works crossing the latter a short distance north of Ream's Station, and curving back so as to cross it again south of that place.

          Along this curved line the First Division was posted by Gen. MILES, as follows: On the left was the Fourth New-York Heavy Artillery, Col. ALCOCK; next to this the Fourth Brigade at the division, under Lieut.-Col. BRODIE, of the Sixty-first New-York; then the Third Brigade, under Maj. BYRON, of the Eighty-eighth New-York; and on the right the First Brigade, under Col. LYNCH, of the One Hundred and Eighty-third Pennsylvania.

          The Second Brigade does not appear by name, but was nevertheless in the engagement, being consolidated with the Third. As soon as it became evident by the attack on Gen. MILES' position that the enemy were in considerable force, Gen. GIBSON was ordered to fall back from his advanced position on the left, and connecting his right with the left of the First Division, to form a line for the protection of the left flank and rear. The junction of his right with MILES' left was near the point where our breastworks crossed the railroad, and thence his line extended in such a curve as to bring his left nearly opposite MILES' right, the line of the latter fronting toward the West, while that of GIBSON's faced to the east and southeast. On his right, Gen. GIBSON placed his Second Brigade, Col. MURPHY, and on his left the Third Brigade, Col. SMITH, with the Nineteenth Massachusetts and the Nineteenth Maine, of the First Brigade in the centre.

          The remainder of the First Brigade, comprising [???] regiments, supported the centre of the First Division, and were under command of Gen. MILES. Having thus disposed his line, Gen. GIBBON at once commenced the construction of breastworks along its entire extent.

          As above stated, the first charge of the enemy on Gen. MILES' front occured about 2 1/2 P.M. The enemy having been repulsed, our skirmishers followed them as they fell back, advancing nearly to the position they had formerly held, and capturing a number of prisoners. Shortly after, the enemy again advanced, and were again driven back with heavy loss; and their third assault, made about 4 P.M., was attended with a like satisfactory result.

 

THE REBELS OPEN WITH ARTILLERY.

 

          In the first three charges the enemy used no artillery, but about 5 P.M. they opened a heavy, concentrated fire from a number of batteries, pouring a storm of shell and other missiles over the entire amphitheatre included within our lines. At some points our intrenchments were partially enfiladed by their fire, while nearly the whole of Gen. GIBBON's division was subjected to an extremely troublesome fire, especially the rear, its line being within range of shot and shell that passed harmlessly over the intrenchments held by the First Division. To escape this, they were obliged to get outside their own intrenchments into a position of nearly equal danger from the fire of skirmishers thrown out toward our left flank. After about twenty minutes of this artillery fire, the enemy again made their appearance in front of Gen. MILES' division, their assault being directed mainly against his centre.

          Along nearly the entire line, and especially in front of the Fifth Brigade, the woods are very close to our intrenchments, which circumstance was favorable to the enemy in that it enabled them to form comparatively near our works without being discovered. Emerging from the woods, they advanced in two lines of battle, with a force thought to have comprised WILCOX's entire division of HILL's corps, and two brigades of HETH's. Our artillery and musketry greeted them, as before, with a rapid fire, but without checking their progress. On they came, with bayonets fixed and without firing a shot. They approached our lines, gained the outside of our intrenchments, and at some points a hand to hand conflict ensued over the top of the breastworks, our men beating back the rebels with their bayonets, as they attempted to climb over. But soon it was found that our line was broken near the centre, and the gap once made rapidly grew wider, until nearly the entire line was swept back, leaving our breastworks and artillery in the hands of the enemy, from the left of the First Division to a point considerably to the right of the centre. The Seventh New-York Infantry is said to have been the first to give way. The batteries left behind were Batteries B, First Rhode Island, Lieut. PERRINE; Capt. SLEEPER's battery, the Twelfth Massachusetts, and MCKNIGHT's Battery, the Twelfth New-York Independent.

          Their horses had all been shot early in the action, and the suddenness with which our men fell back rendered it impossible to get off the guns. Capt. SLEEPER, of the Tenth Massachusetts, had been wounded during the afternoon, and was not in command when his battery was lost. It is said that the Fourth New-York Heavy Artillery, or a considerable portion of them, stood their ground on the left when our line gave way, and rushing to the guns of the battery nearest to them, worked it till the enemy came on and surrounded them, capturing a considerable portion of them along with the battery.

          Gen. MILES and other officers of his division, with great coolness and intrepidity set to work to rally the men, who were pouring down from the left and hurrying to the rear, and in a short time succeeded in forming a line with its right resting against our breastworks, near the right of our former line, at the point up to which that line had been held. At the same time Gen. HANCOCK ordered the Second Division to be faced about, and cheering and urging the men forward, led them in person in a charge at double quick across the space between their line and that of Gen. MILES, which at the widest part was probably three-fourths of a mile in breadth. This charge, which was made under a heavy fire both of musketry and artillery, was gallantly executed, and in conjunction with the line rallied by Gen. MILES, instantly checked the enemy and regained our intrenchments for some distance further toward the left.

          The Twelfth New-Jersey Regiment and portions of the Tenth New-York and Fourteenth Connecticut, which voluntarily acted with the Twelfth Artillery, are highly praised for their gallantry in driving the enemy from a position near the centre of our line, opposite the station, where, after crossing our breastworks, they had established themselves behind an embankment on the railroad, which afforded them excellent protection, and to dislodge from which was a task of no slight difficulty and danger. Lieut.-Col. K.S. THOMPSON, of the Twelfth New-Jersey, was severely wounded in making this charge.

          On this charge of GIBBONS' division the loss in killed and wounded was very severe, especially among the officers. Col. SMYTH, commanding the Third Brigade, had his horse shot under him, and of twenty-six officers and nearly two hundred men of his brigade lost during the day, the majority were killed and wounded in this charge.

          After the enemy had been checked in the centre and along that portion of the line against which they had chiefly directed their attack, the greater part of the Second Division had returned to their own intrenchments and the combat seemed to have nearly died out, when suddenly the enemy, working their way round toward our left, struck the right flank and rear of Col. MURPHY's brigade, which was driven toward the left.

          Perhaps it will be better understood if I compare our line to a horse-shoe and say they were driven toward the left heel. There was again considerable confusion for a time, but our men again rallied and the enemy was soon checked. By this time it was dark, and the fighting ended. MCKNIGHT's battery was put a short distance to the left of the portion of our line recaptured, and after dark Col. SMYTH sent Col. MOORE, of the Fourteenth Pennsylvania, to bring off the guns. He succeeded in bringing off three, and the other was subsequently recovered.

          Capt. WARREN, of the Third New-Jersey Battery, which was posted on Gen. GIBBONS' line, is worthy of particular mention for the skill and efficiency with which he held his guns, firing sometimes to the West, sometimes to the South, and almost every point of the compass, and always with telling effect upon the enemy. About 8 P.M., we commenced retiring, which was accomplished without molestation. Nothing lost in abandoning our position, not a shot being fired by the enemy.

          We sacrifice nothing in abandoning the position at Ream's Station, except, perhaps, the destruction of a few miles more of the railroad, and when our detached situation, and the force the enemy brought against us are considered, it is by no means surprising that we should have been for a time overpowered.

          The number opposed to us is estimated at from 15,000 to 17,000, and comprising HEATH's and WILCOX's divisions of HILL's corps, and FIELD's division, with two other brigades of ANDERSON's, formerly LONGSTREET's corps. There can be little doubt that in the engagement they outnumbered us two to one, for the men of the two divisions we had there were so exhausted by fighting, hard marching and their laborious work on the railroad, that their effective strength had been very materially reduced. The enemy will very naturally pique themselves on the capture of our breastworks and artillery, but if they be allowed to claim a victory, it is of a kind that they may pray to be excused from experiencing too frequently.

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