Help With Apache Redirect

Hello, I am running a WP 2.0.6 blog that is hosting content from old blogs of mine. I would like a Apache Internal Redirect (via mod_rewrite) to point old post URIs to new wordpress URIs.

I have what I think is the right mod_rewrite statement but WordPress is returning the 404 page. *If* I configure the rewrite statement to externally redirect (via 301 or 302) then everything works. However, I’d like an internal redirect to also work.

Here is my current .htaccess snippet in question:

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^archives/([0-9]{4})/([0-9]{1,2})/([0-9]{1,2})/([0-9]{1,2})/([0-9]{1,2})/([0-9]{1,2})/?$ /index.php?year=$1&monthnum=$2&day=$3&hour=$4&min=$5&sec=$6 [L]

Note that if I change [L] to [R,L] everything will work. However, I’d like the internal redirecting to function correctly.

Any ideas?

Thanks very much!
Seth