The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-07-11
THE GREAT BATTLE OF FRIDAY

THE GREAT BATTLE OF FRIDAY.
1t was from the letter of Mr.. WILKINSON,
in the New York Tribune of July Sd, that
the fierce denunciation of the politicians oc-
cured, an extract of which was forwarded
by telegraph. 1t was written Immediately
after the battle of Friday. We copy the
following from the same letter
THE CARNAGE.
Our dead beyond the Chickahominy lie
unburied. Though 1t broke our hearts to
leave our wounded on the star.lit battle
ground, we abandoned them, crossed the
river, burned the bridges, and interposed a
natural barrier to the renewal of the attack
of yesterday, in which the disproportion of
three to one made battle frolic for the
rebels and forlorn hope for the troops
of the Union. The urburied dead and the
abandoned wounded do not lie there un.
revenged. Wherever the fire of our artil-
lery fell yesterday, the rebels lie in ridges.
The word "carnage' alone retains enough
of unhackneyed expressiveness to convey
to those distant from the scene any impress
sion of the literal paving of fields and woods
with the red carcasse OF the soldiers OF Slav.
cry, mapgled and torn with shell, canister,
grape, and Mimic musket balls. Our fight
ing at Seven Pines was awfully mortal, at
various points. There were places yester-
day on the Chickahominy where it was
fercer and deadlier.
AMAsTER STROKE OF GENIUS.
Outnumbered, surrounded, liable at any
moment to be cut off from our base of sup.
plies, and to have our possession of the
York River Railroad wrenched from our
grasp, Mcclellan came out at star.rising
from the fight in which be had shared the
perils of the common soldier, with Ma
poleonic conception of the only salvation for
his army from humiliation by fire, or loss
by capture. He ordered new roads to be
instantly cut through the swamp that sep
arate US from the Charles City highway,
and communicated to his Generals his pur.
pose to change his base by rapid move.
ment to the James River, and to take posi-
tion where bis connection with Baltimore,
Washington and New York could never be
cut-wherc he could never be surrounded
and where, peradventvre, he could cover the
removal of the obstructions in the James
River to the ascent of our iron-clad feet to
the duty and the policy of reducing Rich.
mond to ashes. Orders had been previously
issued to ship every pound of public prop
erty away from White House Point, and
to send every vessel under Government
charter out OF the Pamunky and York
<o hn II md 10
the vicinity of Fort Darling.
We march now through the White Oak
swamp. to change, in twelve hours time,
the base of great army-doomed where it
was, and having now but little grace of de.
lay accorded to it by an active and brave
enemy, numerous enough to encircle us at
any point and to outnumber us at all. Tie
movement is bold, soldier like and brilliant,
but eminently hazardous. 1t is made by
the light of the burning of every one of the
bridges which we have so painfully thrown
over the Chickahominy, and within hearing
of the destruction, by our own hands of the
railroad which gave US supplies and was to
secure US retreat. The movement will pro.
badly be successful, though its trail will be
bloody. The acorld aoiN regard 1t as mas
terly stroke of genioas. The army will SO
regard it, and will feel for its commander
the admiration and gratitude that saviors
of men ever enkindle in loyal hearts. But
the brilliancy of this movement will not for
an instant dazzle the eyes of the wronged
and wrathful men of the Army of the Po-
tomac, nor will it dazzle the sight of the
angry people so as to obscure their percep-
tion of the crime against the nation, aohich
has made this change of base and front im-
periously accessory. This crime is the re-
fusal to reinforce Mcclellan.
THE REBELS REINFORCED.
On Saturday at the Seven Pines and on
Sunday at Fair Oaks, the rebels were so
crushed by our fighting that the purpose to
drown US in the Chickahominy was aban.
doned, and the intrenchments before Rich.
mond were speedily sought as refuge. JEFF.
Davis had no sooner reached the city than
be etelegraphed to General Sibley in Charles.
ton to bring up instantly every soldier in
that State who could be spared. At 5
o'clock in the afternoon that officer left in a
train for Richmond with two regiments.
Telegraphic calls for troops went at the
same time, from President Davis to every
Southern State. A prisoner taken by us
yesterday told me that 'since week ago
Wednesday" new regiments came into Rich.
mond rapidly, many from Georgia, some
from Mississippi, and more from North Cars
olina, Notwithstanding her much vouched
for Uni0nism.