New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-07-21

I
battle:
Received at Wa. Department. yH1. .tl2;a2 p M.ysl
Hon EDwIS NJ. STANTON. Secyetcry Of Fdr.
Aner arranging for the movements up the York River VIZ
urgently sent for here hnd Joe J"ha.cn in trout o.
has redoubts and repusd FaHys Brigade bv
dsd and y prisoners kos Colonel. sod man,
prys.s hi. conduct bilisnt In the do 6oa
esrn from prisoners the, they intend p1,ius
every step Richmond shs ths OF at sst hold.
sy entire forcs is undonbtedy consdeabI, iafspr tina,
Of the Rsoels who viii! nst well; but will do iii with
@. B.McCLELLAN, Msjsr-Csnsrsl Commanding
| lie would try to hold them in check" lie
cOnld not hold them. He could not stop his eager
troops from chasing them. After small fraction Of
his army had whipped their entire force and had
been chasing them for hours he penned thai dispatch
aud sent il to the Secretary Of War, AID, if re-
member Alright, it was read ia one OF the two
HOuses Of Congress. Az you may suppoee from that
dispatch, there was no great eagernsss in following
up that victory. Three Michigan regiments were
not only decima'ed, they were divided 10 twain in
that bloody battle Ct Williamsburg. They fought
there all day without re-eDfoicements. One Mlchi-
gan regiment went into the trenches and lett Is
dead Rebels, killed by the bayonet, welterDg in
their blood. But who has ever heard by any
official communication from the read Of the army
that Michigan regiment was In the tight at VIII
Harrisburg? I do not blame him for not giving
credit W mere credit 10 due, for do not believe 10
knew anything more Of that fight than you or l..
When that battle was fought and won, all the
euemy's works were cleared away ana We had an
omen road 10 Richmond. There was hot a tin,lo
fotifcation between Richmond and Williamsburg.
II we had TO do was to get through those inferDI
swamps, march up and take possession Q! R'ch-
nond WHAT did We do! We fonnd the worst
swamp there was between Richmond and Williams
burg and sat right down in the center of it, and
went 10 digging. We sacrificed thousands and tens
OF thousancs the bravest troops that stood
the face of Gods earth Cigging 10 front of 10 in
trenchments and before whipped army OF the
enemy. We waited for them to recruit; waited
for them 10 get another army. They bad levy en-
ulasse. They were taking all the men and boys be-
cen the ayes OF fifteen and fifty five, and mggnsDi-
nou-ly we waited weeks and weeks Tor them to
bang these forced leves tito sort OF consistency
a. an army. The battle of Fair Oaks was iong.t.
Tnere the enemy found again littc fraction OF our
arIny--very much lees than haf-and tley brought
OFT their entire force. nave IL from the best au-
tiory that they had not a solitary regiment in or
about Richmond that was it 10 put IN front OF an
en- my ta they did not bring to Fair Oaks and hurl
upon our decilna,ed army. Again the indou'tabls
bravery Of our troops (ot the men, OF the private
soldiers tie infOn.iable energy Of Michigan men
and New-Jertey men-but will not partlcularize,
for all the troops fought like lons and the lighting
capacity OF our army, not only say ID it from being
utterly destroyed by Gu overwhelming force but
gave us n triumphant victory. The enemy went
b sex 20 Richmond peli-mell. have been informed
by man wBo was there at the time that two brig
sles OF fresh troops could have ohasei The whole
Confederate army through the City Of Ii hmond
aud nlo the james River 60 utter was their rout
and confusion.
Aud what did we do thenl We found another
biz swamp and we sat down in the center OF it. and
went TO digging. We began 10 thiow ~ intrench-
n.enle ouf front, 10 enemy that was not utterly
br ken. We never took ADVANTAGE OF the battle Of
Far Oaks. Again Michigan soldiers were cut TO
Iieces by hundreds. Go into tie judiciary Square
"a. "A xuil ttlt
L,.l tho occupants Michigan men who w-re snot
a. Far Oaks and Williamsburg, nien VINO stood until
"A caIeut Of thousand meu was reduced 10 ore
lu bred and five, and even hen did not run. SIR,
these have been sacrificed, usee.sly s.Crhcei.
Tney have been pa, to hard digging, ana h.ri fare,
aud ha sleeping and Il tIere wac aBy hard lighting
10 do they nave been put to that and besides III
this a. NJ h they have had to guard tie property OF
Re oels IN arms. They have been so sacrificed that
two or three Of the nichi,sn regiments to-day call
not bring into the held two hundred ana hits men
each out Of "A thousand win which they started.
Fair Oaks was lost thai is 80 say, we wona brilliant
victory, hut 1t Ola us no good We dd not take adj
vantage If il. OF course il would have been very
Gr al. 10 take advantage Of d routed army; laugh
teri it would not have been according TO cur stat at
ey." We magaanimcGsly stopped, and commenced
digging There was no army IN OA font; there
were no intsenchmeuis IN our front; but We
DID hot know what else 70 DO, and 30 we began 10
DIG mud ditch ana we kept III ging ANA oiichlug
a med aud made soldiers vi tier eUtire population.
DnI that WAS hot enough; they sent jackson up on
nis raid 10 Winchester. ala Ne walSed lCr Dii 20
come back with hs 20 Uv0 or 80 coo lea. We les "a
that Corinth was beng evacuated and OF course is
would have been very unfair 10 coAnence al attack
until lhey brought their troope FROM Corlnh aad 70
We waited tor tile army at C0iiLtu To get TO hicA-
mond. After the Rebels HAD got all tie tIVo;s
tney ever hoped 10 raise from any source. we cId
not alta X then hut they attacked us We bad
reason 10 suppose they woGld. They attacked
our right wing, and rs ain informed Gpon what
must reliable authority, they hurled the MAJOR
y their entire force upon our right "Dg Vi 1900
men, aud during the whole OF That InGrsaay our
rigbt wing OF 50, 0UO men held their ground and
pul.ed that y.st horde of the enemy over md over
again aud held their ground al Might o. cogrse
YOU say a Reinforcement oil 1000 or 81 90 msn
was seut 10 these brave troops tbat they ul III hot
Gully hold their ground tie next day, but sen0 tDls
dastaraly army into Richmond a second tile,
ut Fair Oaks. No, Sir, nothing OF the sort was
dOue.
At night Instead OF sending them reentorcements,
they were Orered % retreat Ilat WAS " strategy"
lie moment they commenced their retreat, Is sad
ia The disl at,hos, the enemy fought hAe demos.
OF course they would. VINO ever beard VI r,tIeat-
ing army that was not pursued by tie 'letors hse
lemons, except III the of feOei retreats No
her nation but ours WAS ever guilty oi stopping
Immediately after victory. Other armies hghI IKE
demons after q victory, and auul.llate lhe enemy,
but we 90 not. our let Why ahu S.''c' ith"iHeo
intact A feint was made upon the lett aud center,
aud have here, not the sworn testl hopy, ou1 loo
statement OF one of the brayest men III Tue whole
orrnv OF the Potomac-i will not give his nane--but
a more highly honorable uan hives no'-ihaI wien
his regiment was ordered under arms, he haa 10
doub, that he WAS going to march mo Richmond.
He el.,ved she whole tore OF The enemy had At
tackled cur right wing; he believed there nothing
but &C een of pckets ia 'front.' and he Thought th.t
now our great triumph wis to come OF. Ills men
sprang into line with avidty, prepared 10 rush INTO
Richmond and take it AT the point oil the ,ayontt.
tie never discovered his,errof anti ne saw million
n balf dollars worth OF properly burned IN irvnt