The New York herald., 1862-11-16
PRINCE De JOlNvllE ON THE WAR.
-~~~~~
The Skirmish and Battle Of
williamsburg.
-~~-~~>~~~-~~>~~~~~~~~-~~
KEARNY'S INTREPIDlTY.
TIE MARCH TO. TIE CIIcKAH0MlNY.
Tho Army Of the Potomac
Before Richmond.
Concentration and increase of the Rebel
Army Scattering and Diminution
Of the Union Army.
CAPTURE OF HANOVER COURT HOUSE.
DEFETCE OF GEN. MCCLELLAN.
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The Junction Of Mcpcwell's Army With His
Prevented,
CAPTURE OF HANOVER COURT HOUSE
DEFEECE OF GEN. MCCLELLAN.
The Junction Of Mrpcwelrs Army With His
Prevented,

The following insiament Of the Prince do Joinvile's
narrative tho campaign OF the Army Of the Potomac
VIII be found food Ct light upon tha causes
which caused that campaign TO end in disaster, and viii
bc accepted generally complete defence Of Genera
AeSielan:-
s1oSEMASs
We soon arrived at the FORK OF the roads, the
lesdag from Yorktown which Stoneman followed and
the other leading from Lec's M by which the Coniefe
rate srmy had withdrawn; but the moment that the TO-
deval cavalry ebouohed the point of junction it
by srtie fire from the numerous hed works n
front o Williamsburg The rapid glance revealed ths
position. have sand BEFORE the Virginia peninsula
grows narrower up Williamsburg Two creeks or bays,
nowps dp-oae the Jamss river the other from the
York rye-ana both terminating swamps, contract IL
still more Bet tn swamps is formed SORT
OF isthmus on which the two roacs from York.
town aud Lees Mill come out. South OF the sthmus-
thds Is sly the Yorktown side OF 1.-THE country
completely wooded. 10 the norh On the contrary, by
the Williamsburg side, IL is zen. There extensive
coru6cds beyond the and belyies Of
the city On hat open space the enemy had FIRST
structed considerable Fashioned work, Magruder
placed the causeway facing the sthmus, asd then
redoubts and riAe pits facing all the points
tie swamp by which 1t possible for infantry TO ad
They had then built large abats, expose
70 the artillery and musketry the approaches
10 the swamp AMI the fork Of the roads. II the
middle OF abalis that the federal debouch
I'd the tro and II was there that it saluted by
hail storm Of saells rom Fort Magruder.
In this fort and the redoubts the
Confederate infantry cavalry up iae OF
battle Sslenln, seeing that the enemy had thus
She forks OF the road, and that he could hold his
ground agains, them endeavored to dslodgo them by
bold stroke he forward all his light artillery which
bsiilnty ished their batteries OF tho aba
SIS and replied the re from the redoubs after which
lac ordered cavalry " charge.
The sixth iodea cavalry charged boldly upon the Con-
federstc cavalry passing through the fire from the
redoubs, hd with one OF those sabre fights pre-
sent IL WAS all however, bravery thrown away
The enemy not troubod-he had the advantage d"
nunbe and position. 10 Garry lhase c,vaiy
alone was mross BILE. Men, AMI particularly horses,
began to fall II have lost thiryono men, said MAJOR
Williams who hAd just ed the charge Of the SIKH saut
ing >toneman gacciuly with his sabre with that
luic air which means TO say I've are ready 10 begin
again, but it usen Stoacman then ordered re-
The cavalry passed agan through abalis aud
retired into clearing hall mile back TO await the
val OF the infantry begin tho attack again. uniortu
nstely happened that crossing swamp one IL the
pecesp ho Sc artillery became stuck in the mud that
IL could bo draw out. Ia the hors q dou
bd the enemy concentrated all his fire on that point Al
Killed ali the horses.
The pcce had then 70 be abandoned-the first the
Army Of the Potomac had yet lost. That q corso-
htion. In the evening efforts made TO obtain
IL: but the abstis we're tiled with the onemy share
shooters, who rendered app impossible The
day wan ng. The nederate column coming from
Lees Mi, had escaped aad succeeded sheltering
raj infantry, was very late IA arriving. IL had
great obstacles the read BY which travelled
Al nighusll General sumner, who had taken the com.
msrd, wished TO make strong attack the ol
defence but unfortunately, IL was completely dark be
fore his too.s ct out the woo de and swanps
therefore compelled 10 postpone till the next day.
Then ole OF those annoying mischances
war, and from which the amy IN ls its
duous camp ga, not free the began TO fall Ia
stcJ without thirty hours
The country cus ged into lake, tho roads into
tbJk and deep qusgmges The troops passed the night
II biTouac and IN the saidest sort u bivouac the o
sitiol they were IN.
RATTLE or WILLIAMSBURG.
A. daybrcak the battle recommenced but under con-
oons necessarily uniavarable 20 the ;ederas ihe two
roads ea1in. Williamsburg we're sucumbered with
troops. the ROAD to the eft coming from Lees Nhl
The divisions OF Hyoker aud kearny, belolg ging 10
Heutzeinan corps, but separated by
Of wagons icaded with baggage aud the most part
stuck in c mud On the road by the right
two other aiSisicns with s,i difficulty The condi-
ticn o The soil such Tint the guns the aud
mud of sne roads deep enough to bury the entire gun
carfisge From this pei mel of and wagons nIon
aad broken up roads there resulted iiora
t di8order. In the United States there cors OF
oicers. The Anne system Of every one for
Lmelr individually applied by the officers and soldiers
each COPS tosad others corps Is also applied BY the
specially charged with the duty of regua,i cen
traging and directing the movements OF the army. In
case IKE that q which We speaking would have
seen the 81 officers " French army taking care that
nothing stopped UP the march OF the troops-stoppin. al
Que place detachment Of wagons and making il draw
aside o. clear the seudiag another place men on
fatigue duty 70 repair the road gun out OF the
MD and communicating to the chiefs Of corps
that The functions the aduan general are limited
70 the transmission Of the orders OF the chief |
g-teral has, for bearing his commands, only ads
is-g amp, fun Of good intention, able 70 repeat
tended 10 if they stsmps 10 exercise any initiative
~hasyer. Up 70 this time. although this absencsof
been grave Thsy had the telegraph which followed
tho army everywhers and which constantly Connected
cssvcrse ana conmanicase to each other snytsns or
import but once the march, tho telegraph could
no more be rssrtsd TO- and heuccorward there could
be little or NO communication The absence OF stan
corps not The lcss el collecting and transmitting
the necessary information at the moment when the
act was about TO take place No acquainted
with the country the maps detective that thew
good Tor nothing o the fortified held OF battle on
which tho army was going 70 Eight little known.
Tins ned of baie had however been seen the day be-
FORE ana reconnaissance Of II had been made BY the
troops who ha taken part 10 Stonemans skirmisb.
Enough Of was known 70 combine plan Of attack
and 70 assign 70 each his role Mol withdraw that;
each kept mis- observations 70 himself, through any
III feeling, but because had the duty OF collecting
them among his speca attributes. II organization
that Was wanted d, with the best elements nm amy
thai organized cannot expect great successes and
only TOO lucky u II escape great ca,astrophes.
owing u this vice IN the constitution u the federal
asmy the Hooker division. which had the head Of tho
on the road TO the left and which the day be.
iors received GENERAL order 2 mn march on wamsbuE
where sto emans nght had taken place without sts.
Iclng what Il should meet there Greeted It's ap.
p0atance by the well sustained nre or the enemy works
soh but it he'd arrived alone, aud little by little,
soad strongly inirenched. Hooker who s an adm.
ne soldier bella hs ground nevertheless for time
oas lac hs al as " give way and fall back, leaving Ia
tee terrible sbatis and In the woods at tie two
" usaid y hs nen killed or wounded with guns
~hlcn y was impossible 70 by hand out Uf the pnd
= g Tue hofe es had been killed The enemy pursued
nun " hh ~ eat Kearnys division having succeeded
" elea hg ihe road u Its encunbrances and marching
eee 9uek y the souni Of the renewed the fgbt
ne battle was 30 knger at the edge o The plain il bad er
ten"ru h'o the wods and Il cntnued 10 rage actively
i"r Ne enemy bad received new renfor rcemepts Tho
&c frf oatht with no ess vigor ENCOURAGED bv ihe
@oeisl y ueif iesdefs--Ie ntzenan Hooker and kesr