Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-07-09

Five Days FurfOus COnRiet.
Specis' Correspondence Cincinnati Commercially
JAMES RIVER VIRGINIA,
Tuesday Evening, July D, le62
Oh friends, could you realize the affections
Of the past five days, you could almost shed
tears Of blood. Said g noble and gallant soldier,
whose visage was wan, whose voice was tremU-
l0us with inexpTessible emotion, whose beard
was matted with his own precious blOod-the
crimson drops were trickling from his wound
even then--"Oh my friend, 1t IS horrible hor-
riblei to see this proud army SO wretchedly
pressed upon every side, destruction thresten-
ing wherever We tarn scarce hope of ezcri-
cation save that which is bOIn OF despair. Il Is
horrible and the devoted soldier who had
faced the foe all day and far into the night which
had passed, turned into the forest to hide bis
manly grief. Had You seen his worn aud bag
gard warriors plunged YEARLY on the soil around
him, begrimmed with smoke, and some Of them
stained with blood and had you known that an
hour later those brave men, already exhausted
and stifene6 with long fighting and weary
marching, would be summoned again TO deadly
comOat YOU too, would have echoed my noble
friend. With al his WEAKNESS and ali his deep
distress Of mind, his sword was flashing defiance
again at the breast o. the foe before the sun rode
highest IN the empyrean. Oh the gloomy
GuuultuaICE1 AllQ aIAlDA5 ntdLto U AAAcco tAe-AA
days Would 70 God such days had passed
away forever. Oh, my c0untrymen, you can
not comprehend the tolls and trials OF your de-
voted soldiers during those days Of murderousiy
unequal cOmbat-e0nhict not simply with supe-
rior masses OF disciplined soldeTy-but cOnteu-
tion against insidious thirst, craving appetite,
enfeebling heat, Overpowering faugue-and alter
fighting and marching, and privations by day,
and suffering by night, and fighting by days
rsrrfrA of N-Irhf
vieils, against fresh forces hurled upon them in
oyerpoBering masses, till exhausted nature
almost sunk beneath such fearful TisitadOns, TO
be pressed TO the imminent verge Of despair,
was almost too much for human nature to en-
dure Oh, what glorious spirit Of devotion to
country, that inspires men to conquer such dis
tress. / tell you, people, the soldiers Of your
army have won title 10 Immortality. Whatever
fate betide them, their ehildren's children may
proudly boast, "Our Fathers were Of the Army
If the Potomac
The soil Of Virginia Is now sacred Ii Is
bSthed with the redest blood OF this broad land
Every rood of i, from Upper CmckahOminy to
the base Of Malvern Hill, is crimsoned with the
blood Of your brave brethren. The dark forests
fitting canopy for such wotul sacrlhce-echo
with the walls of wounded and dying men.
There is a bloody corpse in every copse, and
mangled soldiers in every thicket Of that eusan-
guined field. Side by side they lie and die
! friendly with the misguided foe whom they 50
lately fought. God only knows how many OF
The weary ones plunged hesdlOng into the
shade Of those gloomy pines for bnsf respite
from the pressure Of wars iron heel who Le
there now to sleep the sleep that knows no wax
ing But while write these lines the foe press
es hard Our soldiers tBrn their breasts to the
steel Their backs are upon the river. Oh
God, shall they not stand where they now light
slsrniy and so well.
There is 8 record Of sorrOW-it is sOftened,
TOO, by great pride-to be made how your breth-
rem watched and pressed the enemy for mouths,
and how their leader begged and was not re-
lieved-for power TO conquer; how day after
slsy they fought and bled-csn you forget / II
Oaks, and the aoeeLs Of watching and fight e
in view Of the spires Of Richmond how By
fought and conquered on Wednesday last; 5w
they fought and won on Thursday how hey
resisted and best back the great surging tile Of
fhe foe on Friday, but ct last, after deeds Of
Ieioism, they were compelled to yield to over
ghelming power; and how on Saturday, and
Sunday, aud Monday and Tuesday they
marched, and suffered, and fought, as Il every
soldier had the soul Of hero in his frame, until
At last when natures energies almost exhaust
counseled with then fears, they still stood stag
pering but unconquerable, and met the SUM-
mons 10 fight as if Il were privilege TO be en-
i0yed These ere scenes 70 move the strongest
heart. Bot Oh how cruel, frierds, that such
brave so' should be pressed almost to the very
brink Of ruin. They stood up still, with want
pressing them, with fatigue crushing them, and
At every summons to the field they followed the
old flag with cheers ike the songs of Gods
There was moral heroism displayed by those
worn men that viii make cur hist0Ty's pages
shine with splendid lustTe.
But the record. With such feeble power as
can exert, after nights Of sleeplessness and days
Of fasting and hardshps-no more comparable
though, with our weary soldiers troubles than
the labor Of pigmy with the works Of Hsrcu
les-I shall attempt the task. II viii be neees
sary, however, 10 carry you over the field anC
present the salient points in advance.
THE SITUATION.
You remember that the army was pressing
hard upon Richmond. Every communication
10 lie press assured you that it was not strOnl
enough 10 execute the task. For weeks th
symptoms Of insuficieney Of power manifestll
Increased. But the army pressed so closely upol
Richmond-it could not be Withdrawn withou
GREAT peril Gen. Mcclellan was committed {
q do al be could" with what he had, while b
hoped for aid. If the enemy did not reinfoTc
he might accomplish his aim. So the work wa
pressed, while the people clsmored that It wa
slow. The right wing, consisting Of McCaiI
MoTell's, and Sykes divisions, less than $500
Chickahominy, from Beaver Dam creek to
point below New Bridge. Several militar
bridges formed the avenues Of communicable
between the two portions Of the army separate
BY the rIver The center consisting of Smiths
Sedgewiek's, and Richardson's divisions
stretched in line of battle from Golding's, O
the banks Of the river, to point south Of th
Yorktown railroad. The left wing, consistin
of HookeT's, Kesrney's and COUGHS divisions
stretched from Richardson's left to point cor
siderably south Of the Williamsburg stage roaS
on tie borders Of White Oak swamp. III
whole line was protected by strong breastw OIL
and redoubts. The necessary extent Of the lii
left but few troops for supports. Casey's, no
Peck's sadly reduced division, guarded Botto
Bridge, the railway bridge, and were assigns
to other similar duty. Our line Of battle on Il
tight bank Of the Chickahominy, as ] have i
formed you, pressed so close TO the lebel lin
that neither coRld advance 4 regiment outside
heir respective bresstwoTks without proYokir
batAe. ,,.,,
On Wednesday, june 25ih Gen. MeClelli
msde the first distinctly offensive movement,
directing Gen. Hooker to take up an advane
position on Fair Oaks Farm, near fhe William