The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-04-06
%or..sa y the .so.s Of long siege than would have


moralzed By the abors Of long siege than would have
been even BY an unsuccessful assault.
1he returns n the Adutant Generals once, signed BY
General Mcclellan and his Aduant General show that on
the 30h OF April the forces the peninsula under
General Mcclellan amounted 70 liz 500 present for duty
ins ssrS @ "
alarms me, chiefly because argues indefinite procrast
nation. Ii anything 70 be donef''
On the night Of the Sd and the morning Of tho 4th OF
NAY the enemy evacuated Yorktown without loss One
Of the witnesses teses that General Mcclellan was very
much chagrine and mortified At the evacuation, As no
had made his preparations open from his batteries on
Monday, the 9th Of May.
morning Of the 4th. Between ten and eleven O'Clock
General stoneman with the cavalry and light horse
Hooker with his DIVISION left Yorktown with orders TO
support General Stoneman. Generals Sumner Hentzel-
whole or portions Of their oorps About fvs miles from
Yorktown the division 0f General Hooker delayed for
some time In consequence Of other iroops coming from
another direction, getting into the road before him.
RATTLE wUIIAMsBuRG.
In the meantime General Stoneman had overtakcn
the rear Of the enemy with his cavalry, and foi;
| lowed them up closely, keeping up running fire all
the time until the enemy reached their works In tho
| neighborhood Of Williamsburg, when the pursuit
checked. Governor sprague was back hurry up
the infantry support under General Hooker After con
siderable delay ndng impossible pass the troops
ahead Of him General Hooker tarned of and proceeded
by another road Of which he had obtained information
from some Of the inhabitants marched Till eleven O'Clock
that night renewed the march at and came up
TO the advanced works OF the enemy little after seven
o'ckck, about half mile from Fort Aagruder. and at
|
There seems have been great misapprehenson and
confusion In relation the management Of the at
Sunday General Hentzelman instructed by General
Mcclellan to take charge of operations in front On the
| Sumner 10 take the command General Mcclellan
remained behind in Yorktown TO superintend
to West Point heavy rain set in on SUNDAY rendering
the roads almost mpractcabe for the OF troops
The troops OF the different commands became mingled
divisions and brgades 10 some extent were separated
from each otherand II seems to have been diihcu 10
| get the troops up In time.
During Monday forenoon General Hooker, finding him
self hard pressed by the enemy and understanding that
General Sumner had 600 troops with hm, sent repeat
edy for orcements 50 aid General Stoneman and
General Heintzelman, but renforcements arrived.
General Sumner states that having sent General Hancock
10 the right he had at the centre only about 900 in
fantrythe cavalry there not being fitted for operations
against the enemy account Of the country being 80
ded Upon receiving the call for reinlorcemcnts TO
be to the left to General Hooker he sent stan officers
| TO hurry up troops from the rear, his own corps
being some ten miles of, and ordered Kearny
10 reinforce Hooker. Reinforcements not coming up
General Hooker needed perhaps expected,
the Prince dc Joinvlle and Governor Sprague vent TO
Yorktown to urge General Mcclellan 10 come up TO- the
front and take charge Of matters there. Governor
Sprague arrived at Yorktown about O'Clock having
40 os % ~ ssrs s
front he remarked that he had supposed those nront
could attend TO that little matter After some time
General Mcclellan started from Yorktown, aud reached
the vicinity Of Williamsburg about i've O'Clock In the
afternoon.
by that time General Kearny had reached the field
and reinforced General Hooker, taking command, being
the in rank t0 General Hooker. General Hancock
had engaged the rgn but upon being enforced
had succeeded rcpung the enemy losing about forty
men. The principal hghtng was done BY the troops
unaer senera soe nooKer & ms "a a'vs,on susmae ss ..
obliged 70 hold their position with the bayonet and
such ammunition a. the men could obtain from the
bodies Of those who bad faen the roads being muddy
| that II Impossibe 10 bring up fresh ammunition
That night the enemy evacuated their position at VIII
lamsburg General Mcclellan states that after he ar
the field he satisfied that the enemy had
been beaten and would be compelled 70 evacuate their
that he orders 70 tho divisions Of Richard
son and sedgwick and sent them back 70 Yorktown.
Gy ana Ss x
small body Of infantry Sever al Of the generals testify
tina. had the enemy been promptly followed ny .fssr u:
right into Rchmond-ons Of them says without firing
gun General Mcclellan says that the roads bad
In consequence Of the rains that It Vas mpracticabs 70
| make q vigorous pursuit.
The battle Of Williamsburg appears TO have been fought
under many and serious disadvantages. Nothing was
known OF the nature the country the defensive
works Of the enemy until troops arrived before them
there no controlling mind In charge Of the
each general fought as he considered best and
by the time the General commanding appeared on the
field the principal part Of the fighting was over.
UP TIE cncxAHonmr.
Some three four days spent 81 Williamsburg
for the purpose Of bringing supplies 40 and then the
line Of march taken for the thickahominy IL was
about the that the army left Williamsburg that Nor
folk taken and the Merrimac destroyed But prepa
had been made before these events occurred to
have supplies sent York river instead OF the James,
and the line Afterwards followed adopted. The
or no service in the operations against Rich.
mond and remained entirely inactive, except In some
operations against Fort Darling, until they were called
upon protect the army when In July u fell back 70 the
| James river.
Ihe distance between williamsburg and the line OF
operations the Chickahominy WAS from forty " nfy
miles, and the army nearly two weeks In moving
that distance The rst troops that crossed the Chicka
on the 24.h Of Nay followed By the corps Of General
Heinzeman on the 18th The rest OF our army remained
Fair oaks when corps Of General sumner crossed 10
the assistance Of Generals Heinszemsn and Keyes.
General Mcclellan continued calling for reinforcemsnts
representing that the force of the enemy In his
under General Mcdowell would do more TOR the
protection Of Washington, sent 70 his army, than
In any other position In which could be placed In
letter written 2st Of Nay hs asks that General
land ss the more sspsd,ous mode and that be and hs
be explicitly placed under bis orders in the ordi-
| nary way" He closes bis isitsr BY saying-
ssys s:: :.. .ras: ssfoT: this army ss:
=. or'e e much .s o.n but s n event shall !.
ssss And that the result may either obtain me
hs permanent cOnndsnos Of that n may
In reply 70 request Of General Mcclellan that General
Mcdowell shsuld JON his forces sy water the rcsden,
| Land sooner than he could get aboard Of boats Il
the boats were ready at Fredericksburg, unless
the force resisting him will not be confronting you At
Richmond BY lard he will reach you days after
starting whereas, by water, he would reach
two weeks, judging by past experience Frabkin's
single division did not reach you In ten days after
| dered itD
| Preparations accordingly made for Gen Mcdowell
TO leave Fredericksburg the 2bh of May ION Gen.
Mcclellan. just at that time however. jackson com.
menced bis expedition down the Shenandoah valley aud
Gen Msuowel together'with Gen. Fremont from West.
virgia was seIt TO the assistance Of Gen. Banks
and intercept Jackson IN his retreat. Upon being IN.
formed Of this Gen. Mcclellan replied that the movement
Of jackson probably intended " prevent enforce
mems being to him The President replied giving
him iull Information 20 the condition OF affairs in the
| valley. ard closed by saying
II McDowes forto beyond reach We should
be ut rly he ps. tppe ons OF something like this
| NJ unglIngnes ~ sustain you has always beer m
Withholding Mcdowell 20 % from
and DO the best you you
| have.
|
ON tho 3ist Of May and the lat OF June the battles Of
Seven Pines and fzir Oaks fought An there has