Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1862-05-14
LRrTERs IRON RICHMOND 70 A LADY n SEw
ORLEANS
BIT MAS @ j. wiNDLK.
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No. ].
RIcHyosD, Nay ., 1852.
Nj DEAA FRsD-Siuce the dire disaster of the .kior
of the Crescent Oh at loss how We shall inter.
change, as fc nerly our occasional communications
After some perpleItV, have at length Concluded, on
my psr still usual TO ndite to you my epstes
ing that accident may disclose some time way Of
veyaDce for them. 10 80 determining have had view
to still chronicing Incidents in their freshness and
writing altogether in that vivid spirit Of the
ment which must make the st Of familiar eorrespon
dence. Yet TO dire Cnss mind the no,ics OF espe
cial topics in the bsWd men OF this tumultuous era
requires, must coaiess, no Little exercise Of AbsrIc
| ton.
Ny last letter to you was dated SONS two months ago
from the Peninsula, where, a. you kuOw, had been
stsyiag for nearly year. Almost Immediately after
wrote the Northern army, Of sudden, appeared 10 ioc
and made advance towards tho Yorktown fortifcA-
tons. Long this advent hsd bees there waited for
with the impotence Of flushed preparation, il was
hardly anticipated that the most assed power Of the
Yankee service wouli DO employed in it. Tns dem
ior =eVer proved TO be no less arrsy THAI
AoJLkLLAS sld bis Grand Army" Of the P1touAc.-
H.V4g abandoned their previous position there. In Goa
qIence Of Cu' lss evscas iol on the opposite tax.
il seemed they had directed their numbers and
sources thus 10 attempt upon the PIainsula-ssi-
IDENTITY r, .rd the undertaking Of the
IRENE m IIuse. A. the moment, tho number Of our
troops Ia the actual occupation of the post was com
plra,issly smAu Bu it with the dauntless aAeRU
DER the a!rudsrs had cops aud the arrival Of read,
reinforcements quickly brought up army in sE 70
that of the opponents. ] have before described
10 you the continuous forlf aa.ons, one sftsr
another, each within cinnon shot of the pre-
csding, which have bean bait across the country,
from tue York river 10 the JlneL Tnsse could not
have failed to rendsr our position invlncibs by aud
ou. the enemy ss ha Aso ,ic It's appearance; an
=. 1t has be proved by IIsrienoe bister.
YES are poHeroSs against tie Fsd'rL guaooIts it vas
rsE0!Esd VI b. ilsrs Johnston, (Eno took command
aetasg 10 prJvJk nor nak7 attack ID, await the
proper momsDt for abandoning jrktoWn and Williams
ourg aad oy ion, driE tie adVsr.Irss away
from the proIecon of their vessel and iao the use
| nor.
Among the G,s: Indications Of an invading presence,
were the balloons, Of vhicn bad heard Kaaass.s
and ~hics, you'd adj anEiilIFy OF moisrn war.
fare must esr.ly b accredited in the st Of Yankee
uvsntona These were ellJ ssat aloit to descry our
OTca, the strength o. ou' projection, and o;hsr paro
ulari Of our position Apparently, the result SO far
from discovering to the G'isl Investigators any
sang f.y1FAbl, 10 sub q .!oa," mu, toe CO Irsry
nave pTossd Al ina nII.AJI; Tor diiog three week
lousd tn, VlulEed pIus OF Nc LsLL.s tor the sps.d
rsdac i'm Of YJk.o~l co1tuu ally reagn ID U.s. COP ed
r1m the No h5rn press shs hostile Tsn .rres cor
da.d 20 aIt-ek upon c.soEs 90 oert4iu
OF cur redoaots, 10 sdinislts and TO the continual
| tlroring OF shs u a! oar m,I N1,l the Opportunity
OF rcd. ia tnss IeJls of skill always sisnally re.
pol ed the Others and once, when they attempted tex
battery, WIKI large sSu ;hter to then and ourselves
sds.ani. but little Iry. have written from the &C
e.u u Ct hose VINO were 10 the camp 10 making this
satmsnt. Various individuals have also described tie
eatku4sm OF cur soli rs a. being eIubsrsn. In the
prosp.c Of battle. Dlring the Gm,, was myself %
b. YJrG river soma seven or eight mics from York.
tosD, aud The same distance from Wllamsburg-aboye
line Of army. Al the LATER place. the greatest
eIcemen, pref Aled and, The balboa could be ole.
ly il lis sioensoss, aid the fling heard the
widest rumors arose. aud were calculated througho
the whole region
Meanwhile, Mcclellan, under the impression that the
Confederates would hold their grouad deluded into
tho labor and expense o. bading entrebchneas digging
canals for transportation, and achieving various enter
prses of Yankee ingenuity and energy. At length the
evacuation by Cur troops commenced.
But the people Of william burg aad lis vicinity, as
well the public generally must relate had all the
time remained uninfcrned as 10 the intentions If our
General The St in ina ion, therefore, Of Al sbsn.
Comment Of the Peninsula the enemy was that con.
vsyed in the Po,uL comm ncenent Of the retreat. Al
once psuc Of ~ 'prsrd alarm created. spreading
like wild FIRE, aid sT!body began - 30 hastily. UI-
a'Odably was pressed along With The departing crowd,
But to gay the truth, not having cry Interests to protect
/ could have bad no intucemeat to remain.
You cannot have idea Of the condition of the road
the mOrning macy hapeBs refugees aud myself amor
other pcrsoap, early out 10 depart. Cut up fon
Wlisustug TO Kios'4 II Il Wharf (shere tho bcais
star - By hundreds oil government wagons continually
sizing and repss ny il presented The whole way, the
carries Of dismal and seemingly hopeless quigmireF,
aui to the sight "SlCuIh oil pe.pont" The effort
| to lumber through and mad ia the cen nual sink
ngs aud bIlkrgs it involved, believe me- well Oh pro.
v1zed despair. Tlat Owl, and all the frert We.
hi,es travelling there that morDing-uow sckI z
fas, and again heavily and apprehensively ploddl &
ou-in one continuous routine Of d,ffeul,t-got
finally 10 the point Ct destination, was, indeed an
achievement Of general perseverance, to be regarded
as marvelousl The ordss / would remark, too,
vaa trying TO the temper, and elite illustrative Ct
Individual ctarse.ersinoe there the danger b. ts
del,ys of bel late for the boat and even OF W.
com pR anchored IN the mud for ind, lite period
T the credit CT human nature, however, be 1t said that
on'y one individual tesy old gentleman, went to the
eo Of oa;bs and sive ill.temper After all, VII
We got to the wharf, found that the boat was held 10
aSat orders from General Johnston, and We we're de-
Iiaed until dusk bliOe cOald be permitted to 20 on
b ard. 1 crowd Cf SOFAS tsu thousand s!os ana Iva
soldiers already cougrega,td here awaiting thelr
t'.Bs oortAion ReSmold. IN this assemblsge-beirg
ere procure nothing to eat lid aIdrg seats euly 10
small and dirty Office, used by the aovsrnmsnt-a nun.
h.. of Id a and rseE naaeed the Ling and tfdioa