The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-24 00:00:00

much to exceed that of Gen, Lee, he is holding a line
at least six miles longer than he has hitherto suca
ceeded in holding. It follows that the loag line of

TB.E CONFEDERATE STATES.

(lfrom the Times' Special Correspondent.)
RiCtietoND, Aug. 23.
I will sot disguise the fact that, in common with
many others, I have been surprised at the energy
.
and revival of spirit which were evinced by Gen.
Grant, and a portion of his army in front of Peters'
burg two days ago. I have often in previous letters
pointed out to your readers that Grant has never
dared to elongate his line before Petersburg, and to
stretch his left across the Weldon Railroad, for
fear, if his lines were too long and too weak, of
havireg his centre pierced, and (es I have before
phrased it) of having Austerlitz repeated even the
banks of the James. For some weeks past you are
awaree,that, instead of reaching as far as possible
with Ws left, and thus interfering seriously with
the circulation of trains upon the Weldon Railroad,
Grant has contracted his lines and drawn closer to
City Point, so as to leave the Weldon Railroad as
free from molestation as it was before the Federals
crossed the James River. Previous to the spring-
ing of his mine on July 30 Grant's attention seemed
more drawn to the north than to the south side of
the James. And here it may be desirable to point
out what cannot fail long ago to have struck mili-
tary students possessed of good maps—to wit, that
the configuration of the ground and the geographi-
cal position of Richmond and Petersburg in refer-
ence to the Appomattox end James rivers, give to
the Federal far greater advantages than to the Con-
federate army. Gen. Grant is operating along the
chord, Gen, Lea along the arc or circumference of a
semi-circle. By means of his pontoon bridge thrown
across the James from Bermuda Hundereda to Deep
Bottom, Grant can, at will, transfer his whole army
from the south to the north of the river, and land
his entire force any morning within 12 miles of
Richmond. In order to get back from before
Petersburg, with a view to interposing between
Grant and Richmond, Lee has from 20 to 24 miles
to traverse. Grant can, at will, throw out a power-
ful feeler, amounting, if he likes, to his whole army
M either end of a straight line of from 12 to 15 miles.
Lee, acting on the defensive, and having Peters-
burg and the railroads as well as Richmond to
cover, is obliged to stretch over vastly more than
12 or 15 miles, and in reinforcing from one end of
his line to the other has double that distance to
traverse. Throughout the struggles of the Federals
and Confederates in Virginia your readers cannot
have failed to perceive what advantages have been
possessed by the former, by reason of the navigable
rivers which make up towards the west from Che-
sapeake Bay. It would have been a bold man who
at the commencement of this struggle had dared to
believe that, with the free navigation cf the Poto-
mac, the Rappahanock, the York, the James, the
Elizabeth rivers, and also of the North Carolina
Sounds, in possession of the Federals, the twelve
hundred and thirtieth day since the first cannon
shot at Fort Sumter would find Richmond still in
the Confederate grasp. If the Federals fail in this
mighty war (and few rational people doubt that
they will fail) they may rest assured that it is :n-
-conceivable that they can over again engage in a
strife where the odds at the commencement will be
so largely in their favour. Unhealthy as is the
camping ground of his army, Grant has hitherto
had the best of the position in a military sense, in-
asmuch as, acting along a short and straight line,
he threatens Richmond, Petersburg, and a network
of railroads, without exposing to his enemy any-
thing vital. His gunboats, his entrenchments, and
the shortness of his line have kept him safe. Lee
has, as wilt', the odds against him; and yet at no
moment has the confidecce of Secessia in the secu-
rity of Richmond and Petersburg been more serene.
I have said that previous to the 30th of July
Grant seemed inclined to operate upon the north
rather than the south of the river ; or, in other
words, to act with his right rather than with his
left wing. His motive has long been obvious. He
wished to force Lee to withdraw mon to the north of
the river, in order that when the mine was sprung
on the Baxter road (that is to say, on the Confe-
rate right) most of the Confederates might be absent
upon their extreme left. We all know the history
of the bloody repulse which the Federals sustained
after the explosion of their mine; and some of your
readers may have observed the confirmation which
the events of that day gave to the assertion which I
hazarded, that it would be difficult to estimate the
minimum of men requisite to hold Gen. Lee's lines
before Petersburg or before Richmond. It is certain
that a handful of Confederates drove out five or six
times their number hem the salient in which the
mines exploded. For some time subsequent to the
30th July Grant showed symptoms of being greatly
staggered and stupified by the incidents which ac-
companied the unmasking of his great Napoleonic
device. At the same time he gave no indications of
slackening tenacity or infirmity of purpose. At a
moment when Washington was in infiuitely greater
peril than Richmond Grant never relaxed for an
instant his clutch upon the James River, which is
the throat of Richmond. For pertinacity, unexam-
pled in any other prominent Federal General, it
would be unjust to deny credit to Gen, Grant. But
it is difficult, in presence of the admitted fact that
Gen. Grant is an ems damnee of President Lincoln's,
to believe that the vigour and tenacity which he
has displayed have reference so much to the success
of the Union canee as to the re-electionof President
Lincoln.
When Grant recovered from the languor and va-
cillation into which his fiasco of the 30th July had
thrown him he again addressed his attention chiefly
to the north side of the river. It was the general
impression in Richmond that whereas Grant had
deceived Lee before the 30th July, and induced him
to throw men uselessly to the north of the James,
there was verisimilitude in the notion that Grant
meant real mischief against Richmond when for the
second time he threw a large force to the north of
the river. Accordingly Lee met this second move
of Grant's by covering Richmond effectually.
Availing himself of the advantages which I have
already pointed out, Grant during last week secretly
massed most of his army on his extreme left, while
Lee was keeping an unnecessarily large force be.
tween Richmond and the Federal right. Attention
was first called to Grant's operations against the
Weldon-Railroadon Friday last, the 19th inst. Lee
attacked him with two brigades on Friday afternoon,
and drove back his foremost lines and secured a haul
of 2,700 prisoners ; but Grants main entrenchments
.—which stretched across the Weldon Railroad—
were held firmly by the main body of the Federals,
who were far too strong in numbers and in position
for the two Confederate brigades to interfere with.
Finding his enemy strongly massed on the Confede-
rate right, Leo had the difficulty which I have
already pointed out toencounter —I mean the length
of line over which it was necessary for him to rein-
force. Saturday, the 20th inst., was passed by Lee
in gathering together his trove, and (contrary to
the usual traditions of the Confederate army) there
was much talk and publicity in regard to the in-
tended attack of the next day. Meantime, the
Federals worked like beavers during the whole of
Saturday and Saturday night, got several cannon
into position, covered their flanks and rear with
massive intrenchments, and held their extreme left
Lee's attack at nine in the
with fully 30,000 men.
morning of Sunday the 21st was made with far too
insufficient a force to prevail against such large odds.
It was repulsed with a loss to the Confederates, ac-
cording to general rumour (I have not yet seen the
official report) of about 1000 in killed, wounded, and
prisoners. Such is the simple narrative of the
events of last Sunday, upon which (in the existing
dearth of Federal successes) there is little doubt but
the Northern journals, especially tho 33 which are
designed for Europe, will rear a fabric as towering
as though a victory like Austerlitz had been WOO.
yourßut' if
they perceive
that, by extending his left across
the Weldon nailroaad,Grant has rneterially altered
the position
otiirs. To begin—he has
withdrawn
emirei ffY
fromen the north bunk of the
river, leaving only
nor:l,crn end of his pontoon men to guard the
Secondly, by extending acrothta-wteDideoeil: Railroad.
to what is called the Vaughan road, he has length-
ened his lines so far as to carry his extreme left 18
miles, instead of 12 miles, away
from City Point.
It ie known that ho h. o rtcived no reinforcements,
and therefore, with an army which is believed not

intrenchments which connect with City Point must
over a considerable portion of their length, be very
weakly manned, It is obvious that there is a great
chance for Gen. Lea to cut Grant's line in two in the

centre, and to bar him off from City Point and the
James. Ido not say that this policy will actually
be adopted by Gen. Lee, although before this letter

reaches you you may have heard of its adoption.
What will be attempted and what has already been
taken in hand is by throwing Confederate batteries

upon the now unoccupied northern bank of the river
to interfere with the passage of transports along
the stream to City Point. In the meantime the
accumulation of Gen. Lee's forces at the town of

Petersburg suggests thoughts of his contemplating
a rush through his opponent's centre. The tempta-
tions which urge the adoption of this step are
many, but it is possible that prudence and desire
to spare his men's lives may induce Lee to lie
quie, and to leave the Weldon Railroad in his ad-
versary's hands. It must be understood that the

inconvenience to the Confederates of the exten3ion

of Grant's left is only an inconvenience. The rail-
road still runs from Weldon to Stony Creek, 20
miles south of Petersburg, and close to Stony
Creek is encamped General Hampton in command

of a large body of Confederate cavalry. Supplies
for Lee's army flow without interference to Stony
Creek, and are waggoned thence to Petersburg,

while the waggons thus employed are pro.
tested by Hampton. There is very little reason to
fear that a Federal cavalry raid can be successfully
sent out with a view to attacking the Danville
Railroad, by which uninterrupted communication
with Richmond from the South is kept up. The
Confederate cavalry under Hampton is superior in
numbers to that possessed by Grant, and is infi-
nitely better in morale and efficiency. It is safe to

conclude that one of the two following alternatives
will be witnessed. On the one hand, it is possible
that Lee will cut Grant's centre and isolate half the

Federal army from the other half; or, on the other
hand, it is possible that Lee will lie quiet in front

of Petersburg, while he keeps up his communication
with Stony Creek. Nothing will in all probability
be done until the effect of the Confederate batteries,

about to be opened on the Federal transports from
the north bank of the James, is ascertained. In
the meantime, the Confederates possess the great
advantage of knowing that lapse of time is working
in their favour, and that Grant is no nearer the
capture of Richmond than when he crossed the
Rapidan. Oa the other hand, Grant has the dis-
advantage of being compelled by Mr Lincoln's poli-
tical necessities to hazard activity and to act more
as an electioneering agent than as 4 General.
There has never been a moment since the begin-
ning of the war when more confidence as to its ulti.
mate result was entertained throughout Secessia.
It was anticipated, directly Grant threw himself
across the James, two and a half months ago, that
the railroad between Weldon and Petersburg could
not be kept open by the Confederates; but it was
not until two days ago that Grant suspended com•
munication along this line, and he has now only suc-
ceeded in interfering with 20 miles of its length.
Whether Lee be tempted to make a dash through
Grant's lines or not, it is felt that the Virginian
campaign of 1864 in the neighbourhood of Riche
mond is over. But lam still under the impression
that the fine Confederate force in the Valley, soon
to be under the command of Gen. Anderson (now
at the head of Longatreet's old corps) will male
itself felt gravely before long. The operations of
the Federals and Confederates in the Valley for the
last two months have resembled the set figures of a
quadrille. Early has executed a forward chasse,
to which Sheridan has responded by a retrograde
movement. In his turn, Sheridan, after receiving
reinforcements, has advanced, to find Early in re-
treat. How much longer this swaying of two
powerful armies up and down the Valley is to last
I cannot say, but I can only compare it to the
" gong-fighting" of the Chinese. It is possible that
Gen. Anderson, if he assume the command to which
his rank entitles him, may alter the complexion of
affairs; but it is evident that nothing important
will be achieved by Gen. Early. At this moment a
forward glissade of the Confederates has carried
them to the Potomac, while the corresponding back-
ward glissade of the Federals has been executed on
the soil of Maryland. It is not impossible that while
Grant makes desperate efforts to subtract wind from
the sails of the Chicago Convention by a successful
electioneering move on the banks of the James,
which move will be credited to Mr Lincoln, the
Confederates will hazard a counter move on the
Potomac, which will greatly strengthen the hands
of Vallandigham and his associates. Up to the pre-
sent time, neither Federals nor Confederates have
gained any advantages in the Valley which will be
likely to have any effect on the issue of the war. But,
as is usually the case, anguish and poverty have, as
the wave of war rolled backwards and forwards, been
brought home to many an unoffending woman and
child. In the midst of the accounts of Sheridan's re-
treat through burning barns and homesteads, with
the wail of destitute women and starving houseless
children wafted upon every breeze, it is impossible
to read without stern satisfaction the narrative of
an incident which has just happened in Clark county,
Virginia. A party of from 12 to 13 Yankee soldiers
were engaged in their customary avocation of burn-
ing a Virginian homestead. The women who had
lately been its tenants gathered a short distance from
the blazing rafters, and, lifting up their voices
and weeping, prayed God that vengeance might
overtake the oppressors of harmless and helpless
women. The words were scarcely out of her mouth
when a body of Mosby's Southerners burst upon
the Yankee me renders, and caught them red-handed
in flagrante della°. Short shrift was given, and in
a few seconds some 12 or 15 bodies were swinging
from the neighbouring trees. It is possible that, in
reference to this occurence, we may hear some sickly
wail from Federal sympathisers in England about
the usages of civilised war. It is time that your
readers should understand that this American strug-
gle (apart from the great armies on either side) has
long ago ceased to be conducted according to the
nominal cods of civilised warfare. I have again and
again endeavoured to call attention to acts of spe-
cial barbarity, and little heed as England now gives
to the details of this war, I am in hopes that the
recent infamous atrocities committed in Westmore-
land county by Federal officers, who instigated the
brutal African savages to enact deeds of lust and
shame upon white women such as make the blood
run cold with horror, will not have fallen upon en-
tirely unheeding ears. But if it is imagined that
Southern men, and especially Virginians, will look
quietly on at burning farms, and merely capture the
Yankee perpetrators of these atrocities when they
catch them red-handed, your readers can know very
little of Southerners, or, indeed, of human nature.
AUGUST
Petersburg 3O.
The position of the two armies before
is not materially altered since the date of my last
letter, but what change there is is in favour of the
Confederates. It will be remembered that on the
19th inst. Grant appeared upon the Weldon Rail-
road in force, that Lee attacked him there on the
19th and 21st, suffering upon the last of those days
a decided repulse. Upon the evening of the 25th a
body of Yankee cavalry, which was engaged in
tearing up the line southwards, was gallantly at-
tacked by Gon. Wade Hampton's cavalry, and driven
back into the infantry intrenchments. Dismounting
from their horses, Hampton's squadrons threw
themselves on foot upon the intrenchments, and,
being supported by A. P. Hill's infantry. suceeded
in carrying a considerable length of breastworks and
incslopturrsi: It was
pieces of artillery and some 2,000
prine
was a gallant achievement and spe-
cially creditable to the cavalry, which has during
gained such credit for striking hard
kthnioseks campaign
thatthe sneers at its expense which were
audible 1803 from the mouths of the
infantryin 1862 and
are now cenverted into warm expressions
of gratitude ar d edmiration:
readersr
m a
that be w
ini t irne
ct he
ne
tr
leectotiel
re clt
eosnt
ion!
aetoemd et
hoef
my oonr
tality on both sides consequent upon this war as
being at the rate of 1,000 lives every 24 hours.
There are many to whom this estimate will appear
extravagant. I regret to say that increased
thought and iequiry have only eflved to convince