The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-16 00:00:00

liver a new assault. The fire of the
7onfederates
was too deadly. Again and again the atlva ace was
tried and failed; and, finally, Burnside's ru,gro rem
giments were hurled against the en 'rune, aments.
They broke, and it was now the turn of the Confe-
derates to charge; after a brief struggle the:Federal
troops were driven out of the trenches they bad
occupied, a demoralised and panicstricken .130 b, to
the lines they occupied before the assault., The
losses must have been severe on both sides But
the casualties of the Federals, as the ass pilants,
would of course far outnumber those of the South-
ern army, protected during the greater part of the
engagement, and we shall not be surprised to, learn
that even the bloody failures of Spattsylvania Court
House and the Chiekahominy are insignifica ut in
comparison with this. The report of a aecon, at-
tack is obviously a mistake. Grant could hav© heen
in no position to renew the struggle, and it is claite
clear that if he failed on the morning of the 30t L
after the successful explosion of the mine, he b:ld
not the slightest chance three days later. The visiC
of President Lincoln, and the report of an invi ,sti-
gation into the causes of the repulse, suggest a aai"
thing but a continuance of the siege of Pet urgt
and favour the rumour of the withdrawal °t the
f
whole of Grant's army to the neighbourhoc d 0
Washington. The prestige of the Northern :utlYd
and the honour of the United States we „
have suffered less if Grant had found the t'o°l;agyr
to confess the failure of his plan of canine
after his defeats in the Wilderness and at 61) °",;
sylvania Court House. If President Lineal'
working singly with a view to the extinction of t-e
rebellion, he would probably supersede Grant, *wil°
has certainly proved himself the greatest failure"
as regards campaigning in Virginia, the North 13.a°
se.iti
yet produced, with the exception of Pope. Ten
city;
is a good quality in a general ; but the ten s
which week after week launches raw troops agi
impregnable positions, defended by veterans ;
has sacrificed 100,000 men without gaining a I liligof
victory ; and which, long after every condit'. on.
v_
success has vanished, persists in attempts to Be tidier
a triumph by sacrifices at which every real sci'lLint
is appalled, is simple madness. It is rumoured Or,
wou
Meade is to retire in favour of Hooker. That
be quite in accord with the policy which sael'ifice
M'Clellan. Meade is a general who has ~,,,,-6°r6re°
sense of responsibility. His prudence has en
than one occasion saved the army of the ro,.
""apad
from destruction and the North from roill„;ra--ade
even in the Federal army before Petersburgr.
is generally acknowledged to be Grant's soPepr'tie
The friends of the South can only hope el" -
rumour may be confirmed ; for Grant, With,tl;
Meede's counsel, will certainly destroy the last; tit --ce
the North can put in the field. No general sinch
the commencement of the war has wielded- 13°,
powers as Grant. He has absolute freedom, tilehaSlo
pointment of all his officers, the ordering the sc
campaign, entire irresponsibility, the entire °lliii„
dence—we might say the imbecile trust—of the 1.1 t
coin Cabinet. On him alone does the failure I'll;
and what a failure-100,000 men sacrificed, finding!
e Ps
defer cea of Richmond intact ; General Lee
him at bay with 30,000 or 40,000 troops at Yeror.
m
burg, and a Confederate corps seven miles
Washington ; an army of 120,000 men rottiug„l7lo.
tive on the marshes of the James River and tea;
bersburg,in Pennsylvania, laid under contributi
tiles
Baltimore and Pittsburg and Philadelphia, in Bo
of terror, each expecting the blow will fal,l
herself, and quite unprepared to meet it. To of
strategy, and to that only, is all the humiliati%ad
the North to be traced; and wa confess read
with surprise the efforts that are made by a PeFit'uto
of the English press to build up so obvious fi"
a great military reputation.