rebel cavalry at manassas junction

Col. MCLEAN, with a detachment of Gen. SEIGEL'S corps, left Centreville on Thursday last on an extended tour of reconnoisance which has resulted most satisfactorily. Passing direct to Monassas Junction via Bull Run battle-field and Bristow's Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, and finding no rebel troops at either place, Col. [???] decided to make a dash upon Warrenton Junctions. He arrived near that point Friday afternoon,

Belowwas the junction of the Orange and Alexandria and Manassas Gap Railroad lines. The point became known as Manassas Junction. During the Civil War both sides used the area as a supply base. The site of the first depot was probably about one half mile to the east. The present structure was erected by the Southern Railroad in 1914, and is the third building on this site. For many years this depot was an important passenger and freight stop in commerce between markets of the north, south, and Shenandoah Valley.

  and found a force of the enemy's cavalry and infantry drawn up in battle array, prepared to give the here is a hinton hunt

Union force a warm reception. The visit of a reconnoitering party a few days before, and the capture of soldiers and conscripts at Brentsville, gave the rebels sufficient notice that they were liable to be disturbed in enforcing the conscript law by a Union force at any moment, and almost at any point, so that they had collected as large a force as possible to hold Warrenton  The position of the rebel force was ascertained, when Col. MCLANE ordered the Pierrepont (Va.) Battery to unlimber and throw a few shells, which was promptly obeyed, and with decided effect, for no sooner had the second shell exploded than the rebels, firing their pieces at random, made a hasty retreat, leaving everything behind. The Union troops immediately occupied the place, and, after securing a quantity of quartermasters' and commisaries' stores, returned to this place, which was reached at 3 o'clock yesterday morning. As Col. MCLEAN neared Warrenton Junction, the rebels made an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the bridge across Cedar Creek, but in this they were frustrated. After this force had passed beyond Bristow's Station on Friday, a party of [???] of the enemy's cavalry came into the place and captured several of our men, who had dropped behind their commands; they were paroled, and permitted to leave at once for the Union lines.

ANOTHER RECONNOISANCE.

Gen. STAHL, with a detachment of cavalry, visited Manassas Junction, Bristow's Station, Brentsville, and other places in the vicinity, yesterday, with a view of capturing some of the rebel guerilla bands now prowling about the country enforcing the conscript law, but no rebel soldiers whatever were found. The sudden movement of detachments of Gen. SIGEL's command to different points in this vicinity has almost entirely prevented the rebels from carrying their conscript act into effect in this section, and much to the gratification, I know, of a large number of people. A few days more, and there will be no prowling rebels or conscript law in force north of the Rappahannock and of the Shenandoah Valley.

The debris of the cars destroyed at Manassas Junction and Bristow's Station yet block up the railroad track for miles, reminding one painfully of the clarion announcement, " no more retreats." The property destroyed on this road during the late retreat of the army from Culpepper amounted to millions of dollars in value, but just how many the public will probably never know.

GOOD NEWS FOR SOLDIERS' WIVES.

The Forty-fifth New-York Tolunteers, Col. G. VAN AMESBERG, among other regiments, was paid off at Centreville a few days ago, and, I am informed by the Adjutant, that at least $5 000 of the sum received has already been sorwarded to New-York by the soldiers for their families. And the course of this regiment is by no means an isolated one. All of the regiments recently paid in this command have thus thoughtfully provided for their dear ones at home. White writing about soldiers, my attention is called to the fact that there is less known about the New-York regiments attached to this corps than any other regiments from the same State in the service. The old regiments belonging to this corps are: Eighth, Col. HEDERICH; Forty-fifth, Col. VON AMSBERG; Forty-first, Col. VON GILSA; Fifty-fourth, Col. KOLSY; Fifty-eighth, Col. KRIZNANOWSKY; Sixty-eighth, Lieut.-Col. [???], and Twenty-ninth, Col. NURTIZ -- all from the State of New-York, mainly composed of Germans, and nearly all among the first regiments in the field. A large proportion of the officers attached to these regiments have seen service in their native country, and many of them were prepared for the positions they now hold in the best military schools in the world. Of course, with such officers, the discipline in the several regiments is at a high standard, and it is this fact, quite as much as any other, that [???] rendered the command of Gen.  invincible. The whole command is duty-corps -- always [???] at the shortest, notice for any service they may be ordered to performed, [???] to perform that, service well;

OUR ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.

To give a idea of a soldier's life, and particularly so far as this corps is concerned, I have obtained a Statement of its movements since the 1st of May last, by which it will be seen that the command has not been idle.

We marched from Winchester to Romney May 4, 1862; from there to Petersburgh May 10, to Franklin May 13; returned to Petersburgh May 27, marched to Moreland May 28; from there to Strasburgh, where it was present at a skirmish with the enemy June 1; from there it followed the enemy up the Shenandoah valley until we reached Harrisburgh; on the 16th of June; left there the next morning, and took part in the battle of Cross Keys June 8. The next day we marched to Port Republic, and returned to Strasburgh again June 20; encamped near Middletown and marched toward Sperryville July 7; arrived at Sperryville July 10; marched from there to Madison, for outpost duty, July 29, from thence to Cedar Mountain Aug. 10; marched to Crooked River Aug. 12; marched to Sulphur Springs Aug. 20; arrived at Rappahannock Station Aug. 21. From there the Company were in daily skirmishes with the enemy, until the Company arrived at Bull Run, near Manassas, where the Company took part at the battle of Aug. 29 and 30, 1862. From there we marched to Centreville, and are encamped at present near Arlington Heights.