Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1863-05-02
The Peninsuar Campaign in Virginia.
(MARCH-JuLY, 1SGl.)
BY TIE PRINCE DE JOINvILLE.

While the 1HcTri,ndc was thus waited fOf IN
vain. the army was landing at Fortress Mon
roe, where there was now prodigious activity.
BY the 4tlI of April, six divisions, the cavalry,
the reserve. and an immense number of wag-
ons had been landed. The General-in-C Chief.
who had arrived the evening before, put them
in motion. kcyes, with three. divisions, ad-
vancrd along the James river Mcclellan,
with the test of the troops, advanced directly
on Yorktown. They first passed the ruins OF
Hampton, burned some months before, after
the manner of Rostopchin, by the confederate
General Magrudcr. 1t was said that he still
commanded the troops defending Yorktown
and the peninsula Magruder, like all the
confederate generals had till the rebellion be-
longed to the regular army of the Union. His
former comrades, ut the head Of the Federal
troops, were familiar with his habits and char
actcr, and thence sought to infer the course
he would pursue. This mutual knowl-
edge which the leaders of the two armies had
of each other, and which resulted from their
common career begun in early youth at school
and continued aftcrward on the battlefield OF
in tedious garrison life on the frontiers, was
certainly one of the singular features of this
singular war. Some persons still founded
hopes of reconciliation on this old intimacy
but these hopes were not destined to be real
ized.>
Another not less singular feature, which ap
prarcd at the outstart aud continually recurred
was the total want Of information in regard to
the country and the position of the enemy, the
totol ignorance of his movements and of the
number of his troops. The few inhabitants
met with were all hostile and silent; while
the descrtrrs and negroes generally told
much more than they knew. in order to secure
n welcome, and the want of maps and of all
knowledge of the localities rendered impossi.
ble to make anything out oftheir often contra
dcted stories, We were twenty-four miles
from Yorktown, and we knew neither what
works the enemy had thrown up nor what
force had garrsoned them. This was the
most extraordinary as Fortress Monroe had
been constantly occupied bya strong garrison,
which certainly should have made some re-
commissioners, and obtained some information
but, by a strange hallucination, this fortress,
which had now become tho base of operations
Of the srmy of the Potomac, had, with its gar.
rison, been specially Withdrawn from the con.
troll of General Mcclellan, though he was su.
perior in rank to tho officer who commanded
it. Thence arose military susceptibilties by
no means favorable to the exchange of conf
Dental communications.
So the army of the Potomac proceeded on
n Reconnaissance to Yorktown. 1t was two
davs in getting there. On the way, the col
umn of the Grneral-in.C Chief passed some fort
iiea positions abandoned by the enemy. Only
n few horsemcn were seen scouting in the dis
tance When we arrived under tho very
walls Of Yorktown, we were suddenly stopped
by cannon. Some gunbonts. which had ad
vanced to the mouth Of the York river, found
it guarded by forty heavy guns. The naval
officers concluded that they could not force a
passage, and. therefore, that they could not in
vest the place by water. When we under
took to invest it by land, we came upon So
ries of works extending across the peninsula
on the borders Of marsh called Warwick
creek, and high enough to make such invest
mcnt impossible. The confedprates had made
dams in the marsh Mt various points, so as tc
convert it into a pond. These dams and nj
accessible places were defended by redoubts
artillery, and riAe-pits. Abattis had beer
formed in front of these redoubts, on the oppo
site side Of the marsh, in order to give theil
guns a wide range. General Keys, passing
along James river, had soon reached War
wick river, and, in seeking place to cross it
he was the first to come upon this line Of do
fence. His march had been very slow. Th.
country, which was perfectly flat and covered
with marshy forests was traversrd by bu
few roads. hardly worthy Of the name. They
reminded me of the wood.cutters' roads in Ii
Irie, or that part of Compiegnc known under
the name of i'oquet-Gras. Very heavy rains
such as are rarely seen even at that season
and which were destined to accompany tht
army all the way to Richmond, had made
these roads, If we must so call them, completely
impossible The infantry could advance by
marching in water through the woods; bu
when two or three wagons or cannon carriages
had stirred mp tho soil, it became Impossible
for any vehicle to move. We therefore had
to stop, for We could not leave the guns and
wagons, especially the latter. The country
was barren, and all provisions had to be car
ried with us. Nothing was TO he had but
wood and water. The soldiers, unnccnstomed
to march or to carry their supplies. had re-
ccived but two days provisions. When these
were gone. they waited for the wagons. W.
had therefore to make what are called in
America " corduroy roads," They are made
by cutting down trees Of the same size. eight
or ten inches in diameter, and laying them side
by side on the ground. All the infantry who
we're not on guard at the outposts were EN-.
ployed, in mud and water up to the knees. in
this herculean labor, and performed il wonder.
fully well. The American pioneer was here
in his element, the roads were made as If by
enchantment. The cannons and wagons ar.
rived slowly; still they arrived, where the