nown. Governor
Seymour, in a Message, said the "number of killed and wounded is
estimated by the police to be at least one thousand." The rioters,
as usual, suffered the most. Claims against the city for damages
to property destroyed were presented, aggregating $2,500,000, and
the city paid claimants about $1,500,000.

This brief summary of the great New York riot is given to explain
movements of troops soon to be mentioned. But in order to afford
the reader a fuller conception of the opposition encountered by
Federal officers in the enforcement of the conscript laws, it should
be said in this connection that draft riots, on a small scale, took
place in Boston, Mass.; Troy, N. Y.; Portsmouth, N. H., and in
Holmes County, Ohio, and at other places.

We left the Army of the Potomac in Maryland, at the close of the
arduous Gettysburg campaign, watching the Army of the Northern
Virginia, just escaped across the Potomac.

Harper's Ferry had been reoccupied by Union troops as early as July
6, 1863. Meade moved his army to that place, and promptly crossing
the Potomac and the Shenandoah River near its mouth, took possession
of the gaps of the Blue Ridge, and marched southward along its
eastern slope. Passing through Upperville and Piedmont towards
Manassas Gap and Front Royal, he threatened Lee's line of retreat
to his old position behind the Rapidan, and thus compelled the
Confederate Army to evacuate the Shenandoah Valley somewhat
precipitately.

At Wapping Heights, near Manassas Gap, on the 23d of July, a somewhat
lively action took place between portions of the two armies in
which my troops were engaged and suffered a small loss. The enemy
were driven back, and one corps of Lee's army was forced to retreat
_via_ routes higher up the valley. There were lively skirmishes
between the 14th of July and August 1st, at Halltown, Shepherdstown,
Snicker's Gap, Berry's Ferry, Ashby's Gap, Chester Gap, Battle
Mountain, Kelly's Ford, and Brandy Station, but each and all of
these were without material results. By the 26th of July the Army
of the Potomac arrived in the vicinity of Warrenton, Virginia, and
occupied the north bank of the Rappahannock, while the Army of
Northern Virginia took position behind the Rapidan, covering its
fords. Both of these great armies were now allowed by their
commanders to remain quiet to recuperate. Occasional collisions
occurred between picket posts and scouting detachments, but none
wo