by John Beauchamp Jones
JULY 27TH.—Cloudy and warm; light shower at 3. P.M.
Gen. Lee’s dispatch, giving an account of a victory last Sunday, nearWinchester, has diffused hope and satisfaction anew in the city.
The following dispatch was received from Gen. Bragg:
“ATLANTA, July 26th, 1864.
“Leave to-morrow to confer with Major-Gen. Maury atMontgomery, and urge matters beyond. Lieut.-Gen. Lee arrived. Tone of the army fine, and strength increasing daily, etc. All is quiet to-day.
“B. BRAGG, General.
“CoL. J. B. SALE, Mil. Sec.”
Nevertheless, the clerks are ordered out this afternoon at five, to march to Chaffin’s Farm.
I met Mr. Benjamin as I was passing to the office of the Secretary of War with Gen. Bragg’s dispatch, and showed it him. After reading it carefully, he said, “That’s .very good.”
Gen. Lee may be on the eve of attacking Grant, or Grant him, or we may be reinforcing Early, as the solution of the marching of the clerks. No doubt one of Grant’s corps is on this side of the river, but I think that is to guard the river against our batteries.
During my conversation with Mr. Benjamin, I hoped that in two months the Federal armies would be called toWashington for the defense of the capital. He did not express any such belief. He was at the department procuring passports from Judge Campbell, for a young Jew to pass the lines into theUnited States.
