The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-05-23
Ti.e ARMY CT the Potomac.
STRENGTH OF YORKTOWN.

The New York Tribune, anu its feeble
echo in Chicago, laod!y acclaimed against
Mcclellan Tor his operations against York.
town by the slow but sure method of regps
lar siege approaches. Here is viadication
of the Generals policy from the New York
Tribune Of Monday, written by correspon.
dent of that paper after inspecting the ene~
my's works:
No army in the world could have taken
the Yorktown works by assault. Ii the
rebels had not evacuated them, they could
have been dispossessed only by shell. Such
deep trenches-such high breastworks -
such armament of artillery-such abundant
possibility to enflade and rake attacking
columns complete protection for the
besieged, and more complete exposure of
the assailants, have not been seen anywhere
in the country during the war. The en-
deavor to take Yorktown by the bayonet,
persisted in, would have made the bloodiest
battle ever fought on this continent.
The bitches in places were 20 feet deep
and % and 30 feet wide. The breastworks
were made of clay, and in the embrasures
and at the angles, were thoroughly built of
sand bags or sods or gabions. The traverses
of the guns were substantial and ironed
strongly. BaDquettes ran all around the
breastworks. The average thickness of the
entertainments on the top was from 10 to II
feet.
The area of the works including the town
was about sixty acres! Magazines, bomb
proofs, and small cisterns of water were
abundant. Ravines, the feature of this
country, ran through the works, and were
an element of strength of themselves.
FROM YORKTOWN TO WILLIAMSBURG.
Mr.. Raymond, of the New York Times,
was five hours in making the twelve miles
from Yorktown to Williamsburg. He
says:
thought I had seen bad roads before
indeed, felt quite sure, after my observa-
lions and experiences on the Peninsula
that could realize the depth and bottom
lessness of Virginia road in bad SEASON.
But l certainly bad never coceived any.
thing half so bad as the road from York.
town to this place. 1t is of sandy clay
the road generally lying some three feet
lower than the adjoining fields, and cross
ing occasional streams, which, when little
swollen, food the road and convert it into
thick and sticky paste. The rains of
The past few weeks have made this
whole region exceedingly soft and
miry ; and the passage over it of the sup.
ply trains of the Confederate army Tor tha
past few months has cut up the roads to a
degree [ should never have deemed possible
For a very large part of the distance the
mud was loot deep on level, while trey
qaeut holes and spots of quicksand let down
horses and wagons twice or three times as
much farther. And over this interminabe
and unfathon,able bog must be dragged all
the artillery, ell the ammunition, all the
tents and camp eqaipage, all the provisions,
| all the forage Tor horses-everythng, in
short, needed for the consumption end sub
sistence of an army Of hundred thousand
men 1 wished most iervently, at every step
of the way, that some of those who speak so
glib'y Of the movement of an aruly--of the
duty and necessity of dasbing upon the foe
without regard to the obstacles of which
vulgar minds make so much, could 90 over
this route and witness the almost superhu.
man efforts required to transport the sub
sistence of even a single regiment.