August 29.—Five deserters, belonging to the Fifth corps of the army of the Potomac, were executed according to sentence.—General Wistar’s cavalry returned to Yorktown, Va., from an expedition to Bottom’s Bridge. The force engaged were parts of the First New-York Mounted Rifles, Colonel Onderdonk, and of the Fifth Pennsylvania cavalry, Lieut-Colonel Lewis. They left Williamsburgh on the twenty-sixth instant, and pushed through New-Kent Court-House, directly to Bottom’s Bridge. At the latter place, they found one regiment of infantry in rifle-pits, supported by a squadron of cavalry. A charge was immediately made, which carried the rifle-pits, and drove the enemy across the bridge, which they took up. The Union troops lost one killed, and one wounded. They captured five prisoners from the enemy, who left dead on the ground one officer, one sergeant, and two men, besides those they carried off. The bridge being rendered impassable, and the object of the expedition being entirely accomplished, the troops returned.—(Doc. 159.)
—Correspondence between Major-General Dix and Governor Seymour, relative to the draft, was made public.
