The Memphis union appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1862-1862, 1862-07-09
THE BATTLES CT RICHMOND.
THE WORST VIEW OF THE CASE
Tueeday Evening, july LIST, l8G,
JAMES River, Va,

Fran ths Cincinnati Commtr rcial, 5th ms; ..a -
JAMES RIvER Va, \ ,.s
Tuesday Evening, July lst, 1862
Oh, friends could you realize the a1Ilic-
tions Of the past five days, you could almost
shed tears of blood. Said noble and gallant
soldier, whose visag6 wan, whose voice
was tremulous with inexpre.sible emotion
whose beard was matted with hsown precious
blood-the crimson drops were trickling from
his wound even then-"Oh my friend, it is
horrible, horrible! to see this proud army so
wretehedly pressed upon every side, destruc-
tion threatening wherever we turn scarce a
hope of extrication save that which is born of
despair. " 1t 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 his manly grief. Had you
seen his worn and haggard 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 with long
sighting and weary marching, would pe sum
noned again to deadly combat, you, too, would
have echoed my noble friend. With all his
weariness and all his deep distress of mind,
his sword was flashing defiance again at the
breast of the foe before the sun rode highest
in the empyrean.
Oh, the gloomy countenances and anx-
ious hearts of those dark days. Would to
God such days had passed away forever. Oh
my countrymen, you cannot comprehend the
tolls and TRIALS OF your devoted soldiers during
those days of murderously unequal combat
conflict not simply withsaperior masses -of dis
iplned soldiery--but contention against in
sidious thirst craving appetite, enfeeblng
heat, oyerpowerlng fatlgue-and after fighting
and marching, and privations by day, and sut-
iering by night, and fighting by days succeed
ing nights of fighting and harrassing vigils,
against fresh forces hurled apon them in
Dverpoweting masses, till exhausted nature
almost sunk beneath such fearful yisitations, to
be pressed to the imminent verge of despair.
was almost too much for human nature 10 en-
1ure. Oh what a glorious spirit of devotion to
country, that inspires men to conquer such
distress. tell you, people, the soldiers of
your army have won little TO immortality.
Whatever fate. betide them, their children's
children may proud y boast s'Oar fathers we're
Of the Army of the Potomac ss.Fr
The soil of Virginia is now. sacred. Ii is
bathed with the reddest blood of this broad
land. Every rood of it, from Upper Chicks-
bominy to the base of Malvern Hill, " Grim
soned with the blood of your brave brethren.
The dark forests-fttiBg canopy for such wo-
ful saeri6ce-eeho with the wails-of wounded
and dying men. There is bloody corpse in
every copse and mangled soldiers in every
thicket of that ensabguined field. Side by
side they lie and die--frisHaLy with the mis-
guided foe whom they so lately tought. God
only knows how many Of the weary ones,
plunged headlong into the shade OF those
gloomy pines for brief respite from the pres
sure OF wars iron heel, who lie there now to
sleep the sleep that knows no waking. But
while | write these lines the foe presses hard
Our soldiers turn their breasts to the steel
10 4 IL
thsy not stand where they now fight sternly
and 80 WE'LL
There is record of sorrow--it is softened
too, by great pride,--to be made how your
brethren watched and pressed the enemy for
months, and how their leader begged and
was not releved-for power to conquer; now
lay after day they fought and bled-can you
forget Fair Oaks and the weeks of watching
and fighting in view of the spires OF Rich
mond ?-how they fought and conquered on
: Wednesday last; how they foupht and woli on
Thursday; how they resisted and beat back
tie great surging tide OF the foe on Friday,
but at last, after deeds of heroisn, they were
compelled TO yield to overwhelming power
and how on Saturday, and Sunday, AID Mou-
day and Tuesday they marched and suffered
aud fought, as if every soldier had the soul
Of hero in his frame, until at last when
natures energies almost exhaust eounseled
with their fears they still stood staggering
but unconquerable, and met the summons to
fight as if it were privilege to be enjoyed
These were scenes to move the stronges
heart. But oh how cruel, friends, that sueE
brave souls should be pres ed almost 10 tn,
very brink of ruin. They stood up still
with want pressing them, with fatigue crush
ing them, and at every summons to the felC
they followed the old flag with cheers, lik
the songs OF Gods. There was a moral hero
ism displayed by these worn men that vii
make our history's pages shine with splendi
lustre. naa f,
But the record With such feeble powe
rs l can exert, after nights Of sleeplessnes
and days of fasting and hardships, no NOR
comparable though, with our weary soldier
troubles, than The labor of pigmy with til
works Of Hercules-I shall attempt the tasl
1t will be necessary, however, TO carry yo
ever the field and present the salient point
in advance
The Situation.
You remember that the army was pressin
hard upon Richmond. Every communicate
- the press assured you that it was not stror