Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-05-20

nest, land aOi feintlr rapidly suec0Ied Alagru,
der by tens OF thousands, anxious, ready, and
even impatient fnT the enemy to attack FOi
three whole weeks the immense amy of the Po-
toInac waited Tor the attack. but none came
Yet il must not be supposed that the strong Pc
siiioBs Of tha Shenandoah valley and lhe Rappi-
dan river were left unmatched OF undeiended
Jackson successfully msneuveTed aud defended
the first with q much inferior force, while EWell
and OTHERS protected the last from the designs OF
Mcdowell. But IN this posture of affairs, what
did the enemy do, or attempts Ia the val
ley he met with defeat, repeatedly, ghile at Iolk-
town nothing was accomplished. Although
Federal Eunb0sts and transports in dozens occu-
pied York river IN threatening attitude. and al
though the enemy'S force compared to ours, was
as three to one yet nothing was done although
many, many things were attempted
The Peninsula proved to them vastly destIUc-
tive to human life it was represented as q" an
unteuable mud hol6i while the daily returns Of
sick and dead were confessed by McCiellsn's
friends to have been far more than would have
resulted Eoe al assault o3 our works by a coup
de main Miles upon miles CT roads were built
INCREASINGLY night and day immense and heavy
wagon trains were continually employed to
bring mp heavy guns and InoTsars to lay regular
siege to YorktoWni their army was scarcely fed
at all, and desertions were Of daily occurrence :
breastworks, field works, deep approaches"
and parallels" were successively executed
whils the surplus of his immense force was
being quietly Withdrawn to act In ooaluacsion
with Barnsides' forces ia f1anking Richmond by
the rivers, and Banks and Mcdowell, largely
reinforced, were to attack, aud thus, in all human
effectually prevent retreat, and per
haps neeesstate defeat, II not surrender. or total
annihllstion
Beautiful as this scheme might appear upon
paper, Gen. Jos. Johnston was the last man to
be fooled" so to say, by such schoolboy plans
and designs Anxious TO fight. and also that
AsgTuder's whole year of sUperhGman foresight
and industry RhOUld meet with immortal reward. !
he waited foT the attack with coDhdencs. Bat
-he disposition of the enemy IL other quarters, |
perhaps never entering inte The calculations Of
dagruder) forced Johnston 20 svacuate York
own and his defenses on tie Warwick river, !
although the event may end IN the death of Ma |
yruder, who, from anxiety, disappointment and
;bagrin, is now on his couch at Westover, per
laps, without hope of recover.
But in war the wisest may be deceived Ma /
,ruder had not the ssgacity OF Johnston, and,
although the latter, (with more than human mag
lanimity, was desirOus of adding to Magruder's
anne, even at the expense of his OwD,l saw
lesTly that brute force alone compelled him to
the Peninsula, however desirous he
night have been, truly and unaffectedly, to give
,sttle to the enemy snd sigIslly defeat them.
)f his many dispositions, preparations, NUM-
,eTs, and the frequent daily combats along the
gbole line, 90 miles) from river to river, and
he several fights, skirnishes, combats, etc,
which occurred on the retreat. must reserve for
mother letter, but remain, though tired, weary
nd dusty, Yours, tee